Energy Coaching

Rabbi David Aaron, a person I deeply respect, coined the term ‘human becomings’.  He explains that because we are constantly moving forward, always changing and hopefully, always growing, we are not really human beings; we are actually human becomings.  It is a learning process to become a human.  The process is much more important than the destination. 

As I meditated on it, I realized that there is a part in all of us who loves to grow, loves a challenge, an adventure and loves the journey.  There is also a part of us that is afraid of risks, that avoid challenges and resists growth.  The magic happens when we acknowledge that life is a challenge - and that the challenge itself is what makes it fun!  Only then life becomes a dynamic process of growth; an exciting adventure!

During the dynamic process of our lives, everything is always changing.  That’s the whole bit about being ‘human becomings’ and not ‘human beings’.  That’s our role in the world and the reason we were created.  If we accept that, we will understand ourselves better. 

The moment when we actually reach our goal flies swiftly; it is fleeting in its essence.  The goal of life is to be one with it; to live inside its rhythm and to bask in the human experience with gusto.  To experience and to enjoy the unique challenges and opportunities that each situation has to offer.  So life is also a becoming. 

Choose to become and to enjoy the process!

With energy,

Ana

Looking into the future is a fantastic game.  The process of re-inventing oneself is one of building a vision for one’s life honoring his/her past, choices and present.  This a much more sustainable and inspiring way of changing than the motivation based on the fear that one is not good enough and needs to change in order to fulfill the expectations of others.  There is a huge difference in taking the pro-active step of re-inventing oneself when the inspiration comes from a desire to better perform his/her mission of service and share his/her gifts with others most effectively.  It’s fair to say that sometimes the process begins with a major crisis and the need for change can no longer be ignored.  However, in order for this ‘wake-up call’ to be sustainable, it needs to be followed with deliberate actions. 

Whatever the initial motivation for re-invention is, the process has steps.  I want to share with you my own process of re-invention which I am currently undergoing.  So far, I have been able to recognize a few steps.  Here they are:

1.  Making a choice to undergo re-invention.  This has to be a concious choice.  In my case, it has certainly been fueled by our recent move to Hong Kong.  It has been a clear choice to go beyond what I’ve been doing, to grow and answer a higher call.  I remember what the call sounds like from my days as an athlete.  If I wanted to get to a higher level of performance, I needed to answer a few hard questions and take action toward the goal.  Did I want it bad enough?  Was I willing to sacrifice physical comfort and emotional security and take a leap to a different life?  Was I committed enough to re-invent myself and become a better athlete?  I chose to say yes to these questions and to take the actions.  Now the time has come once again to say yes to become a higher performer.  The biggest obstacle that impedes most people to take this step is that there is no map to it.  The road is dark and one can only see a few meters ahead.  It requires faith in oneself to move forward.  Once the decision is made to go ahead with the process of re-invention, there is hardly a choice to go back.

2.  Evaluating where I am in life.  This step involves a deeper look at my present, values, choices, surroundings, my chosen companions (partner, friends, family), my view of the world and of my spiritual path.  This step requires a lot of ‘listening’.  It’s not an easy one, let me tell you.  However, once I entered this stage, I began to notice the messages.  They were coming from all over; people, circumstances, moments, words, e-mails, dreams and books.  All of these mediums are coming together to show me a path.  As I was trying to make sense of it all, I realized that it was best not to try to make sense at all!  There is a clear call of  ‘letting go’ of control and of expectations.  I recognized that most of those expectations were coming from outside of myself.  The need to control is fueled by fear of not being good enough and the expectations are a collection of ’shoulds’ that the outside world gave me and I took in willingly.  I am working on letting go.  It has proven to be quite the task and one that has no specific end in sight.

3.  Letting go.  Lately, there have been many opportunities to let go of things, thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, and fears that are present in my life.  I am taking actions that facilitate the process of letting go and I am pleased to report that the results have been amazing!  The more I let go, the more I learn.  The more I let go, the lighter I feel. 

There you have it!  That’s how far I’ve come.  I will keep sharing the journey.  My hope is that you also feel inspired to take the leap and re-invent yourselves with gusto.  Someone once said that “the only thing that is constant in our lives is change”.  By choosing to re-invent ourselves we accept this truth and become better equipped to let go of what we no longer need.  Life becomes lighter and we become freer.

With energy,

Ana

It has been said that our ultimate concern in life is to avoid pain and to gain pleasure.  I respectfully disagree with this affirmation.  My opinion is that our main concern is neither to gain pleasure nor to avoid pain but rather to discover a meaning to our lives.  How do we find meaning to our lives?  Great question…

First of all, our lives are so individualized that their meanings are also unique to each one of us.  Second of all, the situations in our lives are constantly changing.   What I mean by these two statements is that, to find the meaning of our lives, we need to first look inside ourselves and ask questions that are pertinent to our lives and not to that of others.  The answers only fit us, our passions and our mission.  The second statement has to do with finding a meaning to our lives by finding a meaning to the present moment we are living.  It’s about asking questions then and there, finding out the why - an aim - for our lives.  The meaning of life differs from person to person and from moment to moment. 

Ultimately, it’s all about understanding the present moment as being your life’s meaning.  Taking ownership of every second of our lives, constantly seeking to live a life that is aligned with our passions and with our desire to contribute, simply overflows our lives with meaning.  Learning that even our suffering has a meaning, allows us to see that when we accept a challenge, we are presented with an opportunity to go deeper and perhaps discover the true meaning of our lives.  A challenge forces us to live in the present, to worry about it, and to even forget about the future or the past in order to focus on its solution. 

Explore, ask and look for your own answers!  No one else can find them but you. 

With energy,

Ana 

“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how”  Nietzsche.

Like most of you, I also got a new journal for 2009.  My new journal has inspiring sayings and great pictures and it really makes me want to write on it.  On the first page there is a quote by Matsuo Basho that says:  “Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.”  Needless to say I loved it!  It’s all about the process of growing, the beauty of discovering oneself and being firmly grounded in the present. 

When we see life as a process, we take the time to smell the roses, we learn to enjoy the time we spend with our friends and family, we become less anxious and we breath deeper.  We develop empathy and we learn to listen and to be of service to others.  We begin to see the beauty in the moonlight, the magnitude of our words and the effects they have on people and on ourselves.  We begin to treat nature with kindness and respect and appreciate the little things.  It’s all about understanding, way deep in our core, that life happens every day and not only when we get to the finish line.     

Here’s an invitation:  Set your intention for this coming year using the following thought - “My life grows more expansive every day.  I am open to anything - and anyone.  I am viewing the familiar with fresh eyes.  My life is happening now and that’s all I have.” 

Go on — let your intentions out and enjoy the clarity they will bring you!  Set your sights on the distance and enjoy the journey!

With energy,

Ana

The state where I live in Brazil, Santa Catarina, has been affected by a major flood.  For months it rained non-stop and entire families found themselves homeless or with loved ones missing or dead.  The outpouring of compassion and help from Brazilians has been immense and touching.  The area has been rebuilding and its people are encouraged to start again with the help of its fellow Brazilians. 

Everyone naturally wants to give, everyone wants to serve.  It is a natural law of the universe and of many spiritual traditions that receiving is inherent in giving.  We don’t need to wait to major catastrophic events to be compassionate and giving.  All we need to do is to be aware of situations that would allow for us to give, serve and be compassionate.

Compassion can be practiced anywhere: At airports, on beaches or in shops, and most importantly, in our own homes toward the ones we love the most.  Basically, whenever we are together with other people we can bring compassion to action.  Try this five-step exercise around friends and strangers.  Do it discreetly and try to do all the steps with the same person.

With your attention geared to the other person, tell yourself:

• Step 1 - “Just like me, this person is seeking happiness in his/her life”
• Step 2 - “Just like me, this person is trying to avoid suffering in his/her life”
• Step 3 - “Just like me, this person has known sadness, loneliness and despair”
• Step 4 - “Just like me, this person is seeking to fill his/her needs”
• Step 5 - “Just like me, this person is learning about life”

(Source for this exercise: Resurfacing:  Techiniques for Exploring Consciousness by Harry Palmer.)

The idea is to make compassion a habit.  The other idea behind this is that the more you become compassionate toward others, the more you will also become compassionate toward yourself.  You can also begin by having compassion toward yourself and that will extend toward others as well. 

Make it a compassion driven year!

With energy,

Ana