Well, it has been months since I've blogged. A lot has happened with more great things to come. I started taking Co-Active Coaching classes thru CTI in May. I've had 4, 3 day courses. One course each in May, June, July and August. My last course is at the end of September. Then, if I choose, I can go through their 6 month certification process. These classes are life changing. CTI also offers a 10 month Leadership course. The next one starts in Spain in mid-November. I am so badly wanting to go to that. Last Saturday evening after Day 2 of my 4th class, I went to my Aunt's house, because my Uncle had passed away a couple of weeks ago and the memorial was Saturday afternoon. I'm glad I didn't give up my coaching class to go to the Memorial. My relatives are suffocating - no life in them. The people in my coaching classes are on personal growth trajectories and these are the kind of people I want and need to be around. Being in these classes is like being at a buffet after going hungry for years. Such rich, empowered, growing individuals, after being around life-sucking, emotional vacuums.
A couple of weeks ago, I was with some friends driving in the mountains (the road to Missouri, Oxford, Belford, Huron, etc) and a mountain lion ran across the road in front of us. So freakin' cool. I had never seen one in the wild. The following Monday, I was telling my coach I had seen it and she suggested googling Mountain Lion animal totem. I've never been into that sort of thing, but figured why not. This was the lesson:
'Leadership is the main lesson of Mountain Lion and due to that leadership quality in you, others try to knock you off the proverbial mountain. This big cat gives us lessons or medicine in the power of leadership. The goal would be to learn to lead without insisting that others follow. '
http://native-american-totems.com/animal-totem-medicines/mountain-lion/
This past Saturday, I was running on Green Mtn and saw a big bull elk. I see elk on Gn Mtn often, but since the animal totem thing was going on, I thought I'd google this as well. This is the elk lesson:
'Elk are able to look at the long journey and to “hit their stride” to maintain energy and perseverance. Animal spirit Elk reminds us of the importance of community, most especially fellowship with our same gender.'
http://native-american-totems.com/animal-totem-medicines/elk/
Then.....this past Monday, the morning after my last day of class, two raccoons were running along my fence. This is the raccoon lesson:
'If a Raccoon appears for you, it is usually a symbol of your own curiosity and it will help you explore all of the places and the things you have never seen before.'
The reason this post has the title that it does is because one of the foundational and fundamental tenants of CTI coaching is that everyone is naturally creative, resourceful and whole. As a coach, that's how we see and hold all of our clients.