Fill Your Jar Coaching

Category: coaching

  • Is it growth or self-sabotage?

    Is it growth or self-sabotage?

    Road trips have grown to become one of my favorite brainstorming spaces. I have had some of my most meaningful conversations with self and others while admiring the scenes that pass by.

    It was about a six hour drive from the weekend at San Jose back to Guanacaste that had me wondering all the things I will miss from Costa Rica and all the things I miss from Airdrie. Do the things I miss and the things I don’t, reveal any insight into my what, how and why I value my way of life? I started the conversation with myself painfully aware of the privileges I have as an able bodied person with access to a ‘travel’ credit card. In the same wave length I wanted to acknowledge the challenges I navigate as a person of color in a female body wherever I go in the world.

    As the last week in Junquillal approaches, I can’t help but think about all the things I could, would and will do differently next time. Easily finding a way back to being hard on myself for stepping out of the race to success to step into wandering aimlessly for six weeks. Was it worth it to deplete some of my limited resources to simply swim in the ocean with so many colorful fish, wake up to the roar of howler monkeys, savor every bite of maracuyás and experience a different way of life?

    Three things I learned: Costa Ricans are not rushing to any place or any task. Folks avoid talking about work. And everyone pauses to enjoy the sunset every day.

    Two things that surprised me: I have had some of the best neapolitan pizza in my life (including Italy). The laws are open to individual interpretation and behavior.

    One question I am thinking about: How do I support someone in their dreaming, taking risks, failing and defining their own success especially when I don’t understand it?

  • Crisis intentions

    Crisis intentions

    “A furious thunderstorm came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’ He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, Quiet! Be still! Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.” Luke 4:37-39

    I can’t believe two weeks have gone by since our city declared state of emergency in the face of this global health crisis. I felt uncertain, scared, protective and mentally exhausted within a matter of hours. It has been overwhelming to feel isolated with  lack of in person humanity but the creativity that our technology is providing for community is uplifting. I have good days and not so good ones through this time just like everyone else. So here are a few things I have been doing for all of my days so far:

    • Find comfort in stillness through prayer and meditation.
    • Think and feel globally, working together to provide safety for all humankind.
    • Be mindful of the news I allow into my space- I enjoy The daily social distancing show with Trevor Noah.
    • Dedicate a space (literal or figurative) to keep creating, continue to build into your skills and passions through this time.
    •  Listen to music, podcast, books etc. that provide distraction and support.

     

  • Year 2020

    Year 2020

    It’s been seventeen years since our family landed in Vancouver on Christmas day and a few days later we experienced snow for the first time in Alberta. The first few weeks were exciting in the snow, we were playing, admiring and relishing in this new experience. It wasn’t long before I dreaded stepping out of the warmth of our home, to put on my layers of clothing from the thrift store and impatiently wait outside the main doors of the school before they let us in.

    Changing seasons are inevitable but our interactions with them need persistence. People, places and experiences are a big part of our stories. It can be hard to find our identities when the big parts are stripped away. It is here that I found who, what, why and how I stand alone.

    Once in a while, there are memories so vivid that I need to write them down and reflect. Thinking of all the ways those experiences knocked me down yet I was able to get back up with even more mightiness. These experiences helped me better understand that we are all people trying to get back up one step at a time.