“Human identity is the most fragile thing that we have, and it’s often only found in moments of truth.”
Alan Rudolph
Many of us move through life with just enough of a sense of who we are to function. We have labels for ourselves—like entrepreneur and divorcee, athlete and author—that help define our roles in society and what we do. We have behaviors—like quiet and attentive, focused and caring—that reflect our personality. And we have attributes—like short and petite, lithe and highly allergic—that describe our physicality.
I am all of these. And yet, there is more.
Last weekend my first official coach training course began. On the last day, one of those crystal clear moments of truth allowed me to see who I am in the world. The group was sharing with each person candid ‘popcorn’ feedback. I really wanted to hear how I showed up to this group of relative strangers who were offering to lend me a helping hand. So, as part of being coached in this way, I listened generously to what they saw in me that they want to see more of. I took in what they want me to play with in my way of being.
After they finished, I realized I’m not really who I thought I was. I am who they say I am.
I am the woman I wanted to become 7 years ago. I am not the woman I thought I still was.
That insight—that we can become however we choose to be—shook me. And has had me thinking all week.
Who will I choose to become next?
I don’t know exactly who. But I do know it will have some relationship to my commitments.
More later….
Being Coached by Shae Hadden is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
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