I'm a life coach. As I prepare to get on the telephone for a coaching session, I clear away all distractions. My cat is clingy, so I open the glass door in my office and send her outside. I'm about 10 minutes into the coaching session and my cat suddenly appears at the door with a squawking cardinal in her mouth. So much for not being distracted!

I put the person I am coaching on hold and act on my plan to separate the bird from my cat. When I open the door, my cat darts into my office with the bird in her mouth. My eyes get bigger as my horror grows. It feels as if I have just opened the door to total chaos.

I try to calm down and check in with the person I am coaching. I explain my situation. She tells me to take care of the bird. I return to my attempt to free the bird. I finally put the cat in another room, leave the glass door open, hope the bird will fly out on her own and sit outside to continue my call. Wow, talk about an unexpected circumstance! What next?

In the case of this coaching call, it was impossible for me to simply pick up where we left off. Suddenly, this bird was a very real part of the coaching session. Instead of trying to dodge or diminish the unwanted circumstance, it was time to create from it.

How can the sudden appearance of a bird in distress be incorporated into a coaching session? She might become a metaphor that represents freedom. Perhaps, the bird symbolizes how limiting and frustrating it is to feel trapped in an uncomfortable space. Possibly, the bird represents determination to survive no matter how dire the circu

mstances around her might look. Inspiration might be uncovered, as one marvels about how this bird overcame the odds and survived her ordeal. Thankfully, my creative, resourceful and whole client zoomed right in on the freedom perspective.

Miraculously, through a quick perspective shift that came from dancing in the moment, the stress of an unwanted circumstance was transformed into a gift that made a significant impact.

Sometimes, distractions pop up when we are working with a client. Instead of trying to pretend that they don't exist, the best thing we can do is dance in the moment, tune into the energy in the space and create from the new material that has suddenly presented itself to us. As it is often said, everything happens for a reason!

(c) 2006 Beverly Keaton Smith

 Previous      Next