Emotional Pro

I come from a “do-it-yourself” background and family. Consequently, I know how to do a lot of things–such as painting the walls of my home, repairing my garbage disposal, rewiring a defective wall outlet, and retrieving lost items that fall down the drain in the bathroom sink. This year and last have been my years to learn something quite valuable to me, however……that it might just be time for me to get help and not keep on doing things “on my own”!
The latest iteration of this trend is that Ilene decided she doesn’t know enough about “how to put it all together” and “how to do business” in order to go to that “next level” in her career–the one where the book is a great success, she’s making money as well as doing good in the world, and she feels like she knows what she is doing. Accordingly, I applied to participate in the Quantum Leap Coaching Program with Bradley Communications, and this morning received the news that I am one of the 38 people selected for this year’s year-long program. Hooray. I’m determined to learn this new (to me) part of living life, i.e., conducting business as a business, rather than being a teacher or a person of service (regardless of the income). I’ve decided that this is the year for me to “get” this area of life. Hence, I’m not at all surprised that I was accepted into the program…..I was going to be accepted into somebody’s program this year, because this is my year to take that Quantum Leap!
I have a lot to do before May’s meeting in Philadelphia, where I will be going 4 more times this coming year (May to May). They aim to help me achieve my goals. I’ve decided I need to be even more clear about what those are. I also am working to organize and pull the book together, including putting stories about lessons others have learned into a separate chapter. My primary aim is to help ordinary people, such as myself, to understand how things “work” here on the earth, so they can make changes and get in charge and move into a more satisfying and happy existence. Watch this Blog for further announcements!
One of the first things I noticed when I got the news is that my “old tapes” about being scrutinized and judged and criticized came up. They weren’t loud, just evident! (I have made progress!) The judgmental, critical father I had who is still part of my memory (though a fading one), is reminding me of what an influence he has been on my life. I decided not to listen. I told him I’m finished listening to all of that. I have been in programs such as this previously, when I was learning to do systems family therapy. I sat in a room with the family that was my client, while all my classmates and my two instructors were behind a two-way mirror. They fed suggestions and comments into my ear for the full hour I was working with the family. And that was when I was still a graduate student, while all the other students in the class were full-fledged professionals who had been practicing quite a while, some for 25 or 30 years! I held my own in that group, by golly. I can do the same, now. I remind myself to hold the interest and desire to learn that I had then, not being concerned about who the other people were (professionally) so much as I was about who I was becoming. It is an ever-true path, methinks.
When my son was born, I found myself unexcited. I told myself that I knew I was happy about his arrival, and that I knew I would love him tremendously (and I do!), yet at the time, I could not come up with the excitement I observed in other new mothers. I am feeling similarly, now.
Years ago, I was told that I should be thinking “globally” about fame. Here we go……