belief

Beyond Belief: Discovering Freedom in Thought

 in quote  tagged belief / burden / coach / coaches / coaching / proverb / quote / thinking / Thought
This is a drawn image of a hen on a white background. The hen is stood and has light grey feathers and orange beak and feet. The eyes are drawn as if closed and with eyelashes. She has red plumage on the top of her head and under her beak. The text reads: "A hen is heavy over a long distance." (Irish proverb)

Happy Tuesday! Today’s quote is a proverb:

“A hen is heavy over a long distance.” (Irish proverb)

At first glance, when we take this proverb literally, it makes sense that if we carry anything over a long period of time then it does indeed seem to get heavier.

The first memory that sprang to my mind was from when I used to walk an elderly small dog. On one occasion, she decided she was tired and had had enough of this stroll. Which meant I ended up carrying her back home down the road. She was delighting in this regal treatment, and insisting she paused to let anyone passing admire her at this new vantage height. The road usually seemed like a short stretch, but she seemed to get heavier, and the road longer, the longer I carried her!

At its core, the Irish proverb “A hen is heavy over a long distance” offers profound wisdom that extends far beyond the literal interpretation. It speaks to the weightiness that accumulates with prolonged carrying or holding onto something, whether physical or mental.

Reflecting on my experience of carrying the elderly dog down the road, I couldn’t help but draw parallels to the burdens we carry in our minds. Just as the dog seemed to grow heavier with each step, our thoughts, especially the repetitive ones, can weigh us down over time. These thoughts, often labelled as beliefs, have a way of becoming heavier and more burdensome the longer we hold onto them.

In coaching, we recognize that beliefs are not static truths, but rather habitual patterns of thought that we’ve given significance to. They can shape our perceptions, emotions, and behaviours, influencing our experience of reality. However, the beauty of the human mind is its innate capacity for fluidity and change.

When we begin to see our thoughts for what they are—transient mental events rather than concrete realities—we open the door to freedom and transformation. Just as the dog became lighter once I put her down, our burdensome thoughts lose their weight when we release our grip on them.

It’s a simple yet profound shift in perspective: from being controlled by our thoughts to recognizing that we are the thinkers engaging with them. This realization empowers us to let go of unhelpful beliefs and embrace a lighter, more fluid way of being.

So how do we release the weight of heavy thoughts? It starts with awareness. By becoming mindful that even though our thinking can seem so real at times, it has an illusory nature, we can observe them without getting entangled in them. We can choose to step back and question the validity of our beliefs, recognizing that they are simply mental constructs, not immutable truths.

In the coaching process, we guide our clients in this journey of self-discovery and liberation. We help them see beyond the illusion of their heavy thoughts, encouraging them to explore new perspectives and possibilities. Through compassionate inquiry and gentle guidance, we support them in letting go of limiting beliefs and embracing a mindset of openness and curiosity.

Sometimes, the act of letting go happens spontaneously, like a heavy burden slipping off our shoulders when we least expect it. Other times, it requires patience and persistence as we gradually loosen our grip on ingrained patterns of thought. But with each moment of release, we experience a newfound sense of lightness and freedom.

In essence, the proverb “A hen is heavy over a long distance” serves as a poignant reminder to examine the weight of our thoughts and beliefs. By acknowledging their transient nature and cultivating a mindset of openness and fluidity, we can lighten the load we carry and move through life with greater ease and joy.

About Jen Waller

Jen Waller

Jen Waller is on a mission to support, nurture and encourage coaching skills and talents from non-coach to coach and beyond.

As an experienced coach and trainer, Jen is happy to utilise all skills at her disposal to assist clients from getting out of their own way and making a difference in the world with their coaching. Find out more about the support Jen offers here.

You are allowed to evolve as a coach

 in Coaching  tagged belief / coaches / coaching / coaching business / Develop / evolve / obstacle

The image for the post you are allowed to evolve as a coach is a white painted background with a woodern grain showing through. Ontop is 6 woodern blocks pushed together, each has a letter on that spells out the word Evolve.

You are allowed to evolve as a coach

by Jen Waller

One of the things I often see coaches having as a stumbling block is a belief around not being allowed to change direction or to evolve.

This can present in several different ways below are just some of the real life examples I’ve seen that’s stopped people from either growing their coaching practice or even start coaching.

For those just starting out it may show up as not inviting a potential client to experience your coaching because you’ve not got the wording on your website perfect. I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve pointed out in this situation that it’s not written in stone, websites can be edited and changed as you adapt your offers and how you work.

Maybe it’s not knowing the niche that you want to work with that’s stopping you from working with anyone at all. There’s much that can be said about finding a coaching niche, for the purposes of this post, all I’ll say is it’s not being signed in blood – you’re allowed to change direction and niche later on if that’s what you want to do then.

Perhaps you’ve already got a coaching practice and you’re struggling, due to how your circumstances have changed, to schedule everything in the same sessions as you once did. You are allowed to change how you schedule your working day – need to give yourself breaks between sessions then structure that into your day. Just because you’ve always worked your appointments back to back does not mean you always have to do that.

May be you’re looking to take your coaching practice to the next level and there just isn’t enough hours in the day for you to do everything. Again you are allowed to involve others in the running of your business, do you now need to hire a personal assistant or another professional to free up more time for your coaching.

Perhaps you have an idea for a new coaching video, however the thing that’s stopping you from doing it is thinking that you may look back at it in the future and think that could be better. Presuming that you continue to develop your skills then that is very likely to happen – what if you accepted that part of evolving as a coach is finding new ways to phrase something or developing new skills along the way.

What if, you allowed yourself the flexibility to adapt and adjust what and how you offer your service as appropriate over time?

It may be that you stick with exactly the same way of working for your entire coaching career, however, I struggle to think of any long serving coach who has not altered their approach over the years they have been coaching. Some have changed niches totally, others have altered their working patterns, others changed the medium they coach via (phone, face to face etc), others developed new packages, approaches and group work. The list can go on and on, mainly because they allowed themselves and their coaching practice to evolve.

About Jen Waller

Jen WallerJen Waller is on a mission to support, nurture and encourage coaching skills and talents from non-coach to coach and beyond.

As an experienced coach and trainer Jen is happy to utilise all skills at her disposal to assist clients from getting out of their own way and making a difference in the world with their coaching. One of the aspects of her role Jen loves the most is seeing individuals find their voice, grow their confidence and take the next steps. This allows them to make a massive positive impact and difference with their coaching. (For more info about Jen’s coaching click here, including the From non-coach to coach discovery session) Jen has owned and run Coaching Confidence, the coaching blog since 2010.

In her spare time Jen is a volunteer for the UK based charity The Cinnamon Trust. This charity supports elderly and terminally ill pet owners to provide care for their pets. As a volunteer, Jen regularly walks dogs for owners who physically often find that more challenging then they once did. As a pet owner herself, Jen finds it really rewarding to be able to assist an owner stay with an animal that has become part of the family. (Plus it’s a great additional motivator when working from home to get out and get some fresh air and exercise)

Jen also loves theatre and has been known to watch certain popular science fiction films and TV shows!

Soul Values – It Starts Here

 in Guest Post  tagged belief / Business with Passion / Living From Your Heart / personal development / possibility / Reeny Carvotta Barron

September is one of those times of year when many take the opportunity to reflect on their progress and plan. In this weeks guest post Reeny Carvotta Barron shares some of her experience and knowledge in:

Soul Values – It Starts Here

By Reeny Carvotta Barron

"Soul Values - It Starts Here" By Reeny Carvotta Barron

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and writing and planning this year as I launch my business and refine my message and my purpose – it’s hard work but it feels like the most valuable work there is in many ways. I’m learning so much, I’m connected with amazing people and I feel like I’m right where I’m supposed to be. It’s exhilarating – even though some days are exhausting. Who knew thinking could be so tiring?

Lately I’m thinking about the ego vs. the soul and what motivates and drives us to succeed and accomplish and how the soul and ego fit into the picture. Both the soul and the ego exist and they both have their place – even when they are in conflict with one another.

In my view, the soul drives us to be, rather than do – the soul is connected to our higher purpose and isn’t as concerned with the day to day or with the outer.

It’s a delicious part of ourselves that we sometimes forget to take time to nourish. It’s where our inner wisdom lives. It’s where we know that we’re exactly right and perfect just as who we are and where we are. It’s a place that is always satisfied and doesn’t experience the longing that is so human and so defeating sometimes.

The soul is where we know that exactly what we’re doing right now and exactly what we’re experiencing is what is right for our growth and development.

And, it is. Truly it is. So often we don’t really see, believe or understand that it’s all right and perfect until we have the distance and luxury of time. Then we can look back and understand perfectly why things unfolded the way they did and we get that crisp, brilliant perspective on life. That’s when we understand that it all happened/happens as it ultimately meant to.

Why not skip the waiting and just know that right now? Not so easy you say? Agreed. But we can work toward that…

The ego on the other hand is like the competitive neighbor who wants what the person next door has, just because. Because why? Because it can, because it’s bent on desiring and agitating.

That ego agitation does generate motivation and drive and that certainly has a purpose, keeping our feet on the ground and the processes moving forward.

I’m going to spend some time this month on the soul vs. ego and I hope you’ll join me on the journey, by reading along and telling what you think, and how you see it. Together, let’s gain clarity about it all and see how we define these ideas… ready?

 

About Reeny Carvotta Barron

Reeny brings together the strengths of Higher Purpose Guidance Open Heart Coaching Heart of Business Mentor to guide intuitive sensitive women find their voice and embrace a soul aligned path to financial empowerment.

Her blogs, includes inspirational articles to guide you into the change you want to be.

You can have access to over 10 templates tools and meditations to use to realize change for yourself as you continue to live your life on purpose http://www.passionandpossibilities.com/gifts

 

 

 

Article Source:  Soul Values – It Starts Here

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