Being under the weather for the second week, I carved out only a few “in person” activities that I chose to participate in last week so that I could conserve my energy.  Attending a planning meeting for Earth Day was one of them.  Being there paid off on two levels, I was supporting a passion, and I was nurtured by loving friends and colleagues.

When you are not feeling very well have you ever noticed that engaging in something you are passionate about can almost immediately reduce your symptoms?  That certainly was true that night for me as we enthusiastically reviewed what we wanted as our theme, decided our roles and generally rejoiced in having our 8th Earth Day service at Seattle First Baptist Church. The congestion that I had experienced for a week, seemed much better. (I had not come with anything contagious, and I was still feeling a lot like a slug when I arrived!)

As we shared a meal and discussed the topic at hand there was a loving exchange, a celebration of being together with people I know and care about and who have similar feelings about me.  Sometimes these relationships develop quickly and easily, other times it builds over time.  This particular group is probably more of the later type.  We have seen group members move on for other more pressing interests, helped one friend through his process of dying and seen others move from robust work to even more robust retirement!

A striking thing about being ill, I discovered, is that I was more present to my own feelings at every level.  For me, it has made it easier to decide how to spend my time and energy.  You don’t need to wait for illness to:

• Take a few minutes each time you are about to make a commitment, notice whether the idea of making it gives you energy or drains you. 
•  Reflect on whether this is true just in this situation, or have you noticed this as a pattern with these people or this organization.  Either way it is valuable to notice.
• Use this type of information to make better and better decisions for your well-being.

One of the most valuable skills I have acquired as a coach is consciously listening with my heart.  What difference does it make?  First, I get out of my head and then I have access to the wisdom of my heart and body and to the heart of the person I am listening to.

Getting out of my head on some days seems like no small feat!  My head is solution oriented and is likely to take the logical route and quickly offer one of my answers from my frame of reference and stored experience.  When I am listening to someone else, unless they have specifically asked for my ideas, I seek to help them find their solutions.  That requires tapping into their experience or more profoundly into their heart, what they are longing for at a deeper level?  Finding out that information can bring insight and energy for a solution that the head could not deliver. 

This happened recently with a client who when she initially came to work with me was confused and didn’t even think she had any wisdom to apply to the challenges in her life.  She just knew she urgently wanted change.  Over the months she learned to trust in herself and marvel at the information her intuition provided.

To add perspective, here are the thoughts of a man who has made a career of studying the heart, Doc Childre, founder of the HeartMath Institute. 

“Since emotional processes can work faster than the mind, it takes a power stronger than the mind to bend perception, override emotional circuitry, and provide us with intuitive feeling instead. It takes the power of the heart.” 
 “Our well being is dependent upon an intricate, dynamic system of the heart, brain, nervous, hormonal and immune systems, of which the heart is the most powerful generator of rhythmic information and patterns.”
 
Consider listening more deeply this week by “dropping down into your heart. ” Doing so can not only help you hear more effectively, it also can help you integrate the multiple changes that are taking place in your life, reduce stress and help you access greater fulfillment.

For an overview of the HearthMath Solution and its application, here is an excellent article.  For learning some specific processes and multiple other resources checkout the HearthMath website.

Does the thought of leaping leave you cold or excited?  If you can conjure up a bit of curiosity if not excitement, read on! Leap has become a buzz word that I keep hearing about whether from colleague Janice Williams , career and retirement coach, Price Pritchett, PhD ,organizational change consultant, in his book, You2, and in The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks consultant, author and expert on relationships. 

Perhaps leap and particularly quantum leap is a fresh way to speak of transformation,doing something way beyond what you have imagined yourself doing before.  In any case, taking a quantum leap requires a mind shift. Mind shifts open up the possibility of powerful change.

So, if you were to make quantum leaps this year in every area of your life, what would you and your life look like at the end of 2010?

Some hints of what could be ahead are listed as key components of You2.

= Multiply personal effectiveness
= Quit trying harder
= Think beyond what common sense would allow
= Make your move before you’re ready
= Look inside for the opportunity

All of these intrigue me and some, frankly, create queasiness in the pit of my stomach.  That is probably a good sign.  What I know is that these books challenge me to take myself out of the patterns of the past that have not served me.  And, that is what I want and what my clients are hungry for, too!

Ok, these are two men.  Why would women 50 and beyond be interested in what men have to say about change?  First, these are two men who have spent much of their professional lives exploring relationships and change and have been very successful.  Secondly, they are over 50 and their age is an asset from my perspective.  They have been challenged to put their theories to work in their own as well as their clients’ lives.

As I explore leaping with you as a method of meaningful change, I will also look for women’s perspectives and input, including yours!