You Will Know

Last year I decided to put my insomnia to good use. Remembering the Old Testament story of how Samuel responded to a call in the night, and his master realised that he was hearing the voice of God, I started to keep a notebook by my bedside to jot down ideas that came to me. Typically I might sit up in bed for 90 minutes writing whatever entered my head. In the mornings and often days afterward I’ve been amazed at what’s arrived. A regular favourite is planning how best to grow the community by spending millions won on the lottery. I return to sleep smiling and feeling great; thus I have all the pleasure of a win without any concerns that commonly accompany great wealth. For several years my primary passion has been for Health Protection and Disease Prevention. Deciding how best to spend my day requires that I’m pursuing this primary purpose. Most recently it’s been focused on learning the ways of Organic Agriculture and Permaculture schemes. This is totally synergistic with Health Coaching since I’ve come to realise that our health is directly related to the quality of the food we eat. A common coaching question is “What do you know today, that you’ll find out next year?” This is an invitation to listen to your inner voice. Each of us is guided with a unique mission just as an acorn becomes a tree. Our task, often very difficult in this busy and exploitative world, is to stay on task and get out of the way of our inner knowing. As each cell of the body has a unique function so too does every member of the human race. Where do your passions lie? What are your talents? What do you most enjoy? How can you make your best contribution to society? Be still and you will know.

Living Standards

As we approach the election the main parties are vying with each other to win our affections. All of them claim to support the best interests of the common man. From one side we hear that the National Health Service is under intense pressure and needs massive investment – tens of billions extra! From the other side comes a promise to improve the working conditions of ordinary people by imposing further requirements on employment contracts. Universally comes the cry that in real terms, disposable income is falling and that living standards can only be maintained by voting for their party. This time I’ve decided to buck the trend. First of all I recognise that I’m looking at life through a different lens than most. Every day I can climb, pain free, from my bed is a good day. Every day that I can avoid medication makes it better. Being of service to others and helping to heal our community tops it off. Then learning something more about chiropractic or naturopathy with their focus on Health Protection engages my grey matter and makes me potentially more useful. Enjoying robust good health, for the moment, makes me sad for the many who don’t. Zero hours contracts, hailed by some as the ultimate in flexible working practice, are certainly exploitative. But to me, the worst of all exploitation occurs when organisations profit from depriving people of their health, and governments, of all persuasions, ignore the root causes to focus instead on quick-fix patches that maintain the status quo. In truth we need a complete reassessment of our priorities. Health is Wealth and health is God’s gift. We can squander our health but we cannot buy it. Our best strategy is to protect it carefully in every area of life whether physical, mental or spiritual. We do this when we eat real food, engage in stretching mental activity and seek to build a better world by protecting the one we have. Some years ago I was hospitalised and underwent emergency surgery; the NHS saved my life. Only slowly however, did I start to realise that I’d scored an ‘own goal’. My illness resulted from a sick lifestyle – but one which I thought was better than good. I exercised hard and frequently and followed national guidelines on healthy eating with emphasis on whole grain breads, healthy vegetable oils, low cholesterol spreads and no saturated fats. Only when I was prescribed statin drugs and blood pressure medication, which I’d be on for life, did I stop to examine what was really going on. I’ve come to realise that ‘Living Standards’ has less to do with the pound in your pocket and more to do with the purpose in your life, the thoughts in your head and the food in your belly. Don’t let any political party short change you with promises they can’t keep. Instead, follow Ghandi’s example and ‘Be the change you want to see in the world’. Take personal responsibility for your health and be guided in your decision-making by asking how best we can protect the world’s resources for future generations.

Separation and Divorce

A commonly used coaching question is – “What do you know today that you’ll find out in a year’s time?” This is an invitation to use one’s intuition in our conscious life. It is not irrational to use all our senses, especially those from deep within that help us know right from wrong. Also, when explaining how coaching works, I often find it useful to consider the re-entry to the atmosphere of a vehicle from deep space. If it hits the atmosphere obliquely it might bounce off and be lost forever. If it comes in too steeply it burns up. Even when it comes in at the optimum angle things get so hot that communication is temporarily lost. Massive adjustment resulting from separation and divorce is difficult and usually very painful. Following the Brexit vote the UK and EU must now negotiate for their new reality. After a 40 year union it will be hard to pick apart the legislation that has governed our existence. Predictably, both sides are posturing and preparing for difficult talks. Within all the political parties in the UK there have always been rumblings of dissent about the EU. To some this reflects a lack of commitment. To others a justifiable response to an increasingly strident European Commission composed of non-elected bureaucrats. To those tuned in to an inner voice, the UK zeitgeist was clearly disengaging for some time under a sickening display of xenophobia. There are turbulent times ahead for all parties to the talks. Initially there may be brutal recriminations as hurts are expressed but maturity makes it clear that only a Win-Win mentality makes any sense. In sexist terms - as the ex-wife learns to change the engine oil or the ex-husband learns to cook, there are new skills to be gained and new accommodations to be made. In the heat of relationship meltdown it is inevitable that self-preservation kicks in. The UK and the EU are squaring up as do couples entering mediation or the divorce courts. But afterwards there is always great scope for growth. New perspectives open up new possibilities. Great pain can open minds like little else. As the modern day beatitudes put it – ‘Blessed are the broken, they let the light in’. Coaching sessions will seldom get fiery. The coach’s gig will be short lived if she becomes confrontational with her client. Rather the aim is to create a safe learning space for the client, wherein the only heat generated emanates from the client confronting the image he views in the mirror. The skilful coach will assist her client’s greatest learning and help him ride the rapids of change to emerge at a new level of consciousness when the heat subsides. He will consciously listen to his intuition and extend his sense perception creating new options, new outcomes and a richer life.