One of my top 10 items on my bucket list was to spend the Holiday Season in Cartagena, Colombia. As I pondered over what I wanted to share with you, I reflected on what specifically brought me here. My evolutionary journey into creating a “Life my Way” brought to fruition the fact that it is possible to live life on your own terms. The process involves the creation of pathways that will enable you to exude your authentic self. I share my journey with you and wish the same for you too. Wishing you an abundant 2023.
Can you judge a book by its cover?
Regardless of your answer to the question, you may be right. The key word here is “judge “. Whether we like it or not our judgement is tainted by the lens through which we view the cover of the book. The lens that we create for ourselves determines our view and what we see. Looking through a blue lens we would see a red object as purple but it would appear as orange while viewing it via a yellow lens. The colour of the object changes with the lens we choose to view. We are each endowed with a gift to create and uncreate the lens through which we view our world and those that are in it.
The first step in understanding the lens through which we view the world around us is self-awareness. First, we must understand ourselves and only then can we attempt to understand others. We often misjudge others because of the lens we wear at the time. Steven Covey says self-awareness is a human endowment that separates humans from the animal world. In his book the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, he recommends the first habit “Seek first to understand than to be understood”. The profound realization of the power of self-awareness led me to explore various tools and techniques to not only understand myself but enable me to understand others through a new lens. When we come to grips with who we are, we begin to love our special and unique selves and enable the capacity to change our view. We are then enabled to also begin to understand others in a different light.
In my quest to learn more about self-awareness, I participated in a True Colors program way back when. The experience was a jolting realization that I was a closet extrovert, that I was conforming to a cultural orientation that dictated that I be an introvert. I began to appreciate my true preference and display my true colours of having social tendencies and enjoying being with others. When the bubble burst, I took off on my travels. I facilitated True Colors workshops in several countries. Helping people understand themselves and others. Thirty years later the participants in the workshops still remember their True Colors awareness and cherish the learning that one cannot always judge a book by its cover.
I was fortunate to discover the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (IPEC ) and became a Certified Coach and Practitioner in the Energy Leadership Index (ELI Assessment™). This experience was another game-changer for me. I realized where I negatively expended my energy and soon my trajectory began to change as I threw away outdated lenses. Click here to learn more about the Energy Leadership Assessment™. Later, through the experience with the ELI Assessment™, I created the Cuatro Method. Step 1 in this process is Self-Awareness.
My self-awareness rose to a higher level as I delved into Prof. Philippe Rosinski’s Cultural Orientation Framework (COF™). This assessment facilitates the awareness and understanding of the explicit and implicit differences that each of us possesses and encourages not only individual but also team performance. It serves to boost self-awareness in dimensions that I had never considered.
The culmination of all these experiences resulted in the creation of my guidebook 26 Pathways to a “Life my Way”. This special book was created with you in mind, for you to create a life that is completely yours. Based on the 26 alphabets of the English language, these pathways, when reflected upon, can bring true meaning into your life.
You can access the book by visiting https://coachingworx.ca/26-pathways/
I’m looking forward to supporting you in making 2023 everything you want it to be – A life that is fulfilling in every way, heightened success in your endeavours, and enlightenment through clearing your pathways that will lead to a “Life my Way”.