This past weekend, I had the privilege to learn from one of the women whose work inspires me most, Valorie Burton. I attended the CAPP Institute Coach Training Intensive in Atlanta, Georgia along with 65 other passionate like minded individuals from all over the United States.
WOW! Let me start off by saying “What an experience”.
From the moment I stepped off the plane, I was received with great Southern hospitality.
The most transformative experiences I had happened at that training. My breakthroughs and AHA moments will impact my coaching business for years to come, but I wanted to share with you 3 powerful lessons that really had the whole room stirring.
Lesson 1: Sometimes our most uncomfortable moments can lead to our greatest breakthroughs.
No one likes to feel discomfort. I know I often avoid that feeling because I am unsure of how I may react. But it is often that process of “digging deep” that reveals the most powerful truths and allows growth. We had many moments where our coaches asked us to dig deeper than the responses we were giving. Deeper than the “I don’t knows” and the “I don’t haves” to truly find the answers to the questions many of us were afraid to ask.
When we showed vulnerability to our coaches and our colleagues, many of the blocks were lifted in that room, opening the floodgates to all the potential and opportunities we had overlooked. It was the first time that many of us allowed ourselves to go to that uncomfortable place and we got through it together and grew.
Lesson 2: It takes 3 positive to undo a negative
Have you ever had something negative happen and it snowballed into your day turning every experience you encountered into a negative one?
That is the power of negativity.
It just takes one to set you off in the wrong direction and can frame the way you look at everything else that day, year or potentially your whole life.
In relationships, the ratio is even more intense requiring 5 positives to undo 1 negative.
That was revealing to me in so many ways.
I understood in my early twenties that you have to be aware of the company you keep and the people around you because their negativity can spread like the plague. However I didn’t realize how my own negativity could potentially impact my relationships with family, friends and colleagues and how much positive was needed to change that.
Lesson 3: You can’t help what thoughts show up, but you can choose which ones you allow into your life
This lesson really struck a nerve with me.
We have all encountered the angry driver, or maybe we are the angry driver. The one who when cut off reacts in the most offensive way possible. The one who may or may not get out of his car at the light to start an argument.
However, we might have also encountered the driver that despite everyone trying to cut each other off, gives you the right of way. Seems calm and composed.
Each of these individuals may have experienced being cut off while driving but it’s how they reacted that makes them different.
We can’t help what counterproductive thoughts show up in our minds at the most stressful times. We can, however, choose which ones we entertain.
Ask yourself “ Is this thought serving you?” and when they come, answer them. If it isn’t serving you, replace it with a thought that is. Understanding the feelings that take over and trigger your reaction will allow you to better deal with them.
I am truly grateful for the opportunity I had this past weekend and can’t wait to build on the ideas and projects I have for my coaching business.
Has any of these lessons resonated with you? What will you do differently?