When I was contemplating what to call my coaching practice I knew I wanted a name that symbolised the essential truth of my work. After going down a few blind alleys, I returned to the metaphor of the pearl. Why? Because when an intruder such as a grain of sand lodges itself in the soft, vulnerable flesh of the oyster, it protects itself by enveloping the irritant in layers of nacre - a lustrous … [Read more...] about What is The Pearl Within?
human potential coach
Be yourself! But which self should I be?
We’ve all been there. We’re feeling nervous, about to do something that’s outside our comfort zone. A well-meaning friend or family member is trying to reassure us. “You’ll be fine!” they say. “Just be yourself.” Let me ask you, has this ever made you feel better? Has it boosted your confidence? My experience has mostly been no, it has not. In fact … [Read more...] about Be yourself! But which self should I be?
Would you hire a life coach who hadn’t really lived?
I was fascinated to read a piece in the New York Times recently about the new trend in the US for younger life coaches - some as young as 20. My initial reaction to this was probably similar to yours, ie fairly dismissive. How on earth can someone barely out of their teens be able to work effectively in a profession that requires maturity and a degree of self-awareness? Then I pulled myself up and … [Read more...] about Would you hire a life coach who hadn’t really lived?
My love is like a green, green ivy leaf…
This morning, the Telegraph website published a lovely gallery of photos of naturally occurring heart shapes (link below), which demonstrates that there really are hearts everywhere if you look for them. It got me thinking about the heart icon, how our brains scan for it and pattern-match it all the time, and what were the origins of a symbol that has come to mean everything from eternal love … [Read more...] about My love is like a green, green ivy leaf…
What’s so amazing about grace?
While charity shopping at the weekend I stumbled upon a copy of Success Intelligence, one of the few Robert Holden (www.robertholden.org) books I haven’t read. That was a happy accident in itself. But when I flicked through it later I found that one section of the book is about grace. That’s the very word that came to me in a visualisation I did the other night about aligning with your highest … [Read more...] about What’s so amazing about grace?
How to create a bespoke future
Yesterday I was talking about Eddie Izzard and the art of living big. You may have asked yourself the question, what would my Big Life look like? If that seems overwhelming, start smallish and work up. Start by doing an assessment of your life in 2011 - what went well and what didn’t? What would you like your personal theme of 2012 to be? It could be a tune, a photograph, a painting, a quote, … [Read more...] about How to create a bespoke future