The other children will get used to it, and anyway your hair will grow in again soon.
The next morning, when their teacher walked in to the class, all the children were sitting in their seats, some still tittering about the girl who had no hair, while she shrank into her chair. “Good morning, children,” the teacher said, smiling warmly in her familiar way of greeting them. She took off her coat and scarf. Her head was completely shaved.
After that, a rash of children begged their parents to let them cut their hair. And when a child came to class with short hair, newly bobbed, all the children laughed merrily—not out of fear –but out of the joy of the game. And everybody’s hair grew back at the same time.
This teacher stepped into her gift of greatness. She
distinguished baldness as a possibility-a fashion statement, an act of choice, a game to play, an opportunity for solidarity and connection. No one was made wrong. There was nothing to fix. And the new statement was more compelling to the children than their fearful imaginings because it provided a whole field of play.
In taking a step toward possibility and greatness, the teacher not only changed the life of the young girl with leukemia, but she offered the invitation to greatness to her entire class. They were all given a chance to become more, to grow, and to expand the world as they knew it. I imagine that was an experience those children, parents, and the teacher carried with them for many years to come.
Coaching is about inviting others to step into the gifts of their greatness. It’s about opening doors to new possibilities. It’s about moving forward without making anyone wrong or needing to fix anything. It’s about connecting lives. It’s about being a bridge between the sedated world and a world alive with passion and hope. It reminds me of candle lighting ceremony. One candle gets lit then leans over to light the next candle, which leans over to light the next candle, and so on. Within just moments, the whole room is filled with candlelight. And it all started with just one candle. It only takes one coach to help one client light one candle to start the movement.
When my daughter was about seven years old, she asked me one day what I did at work. I told her I worked at the college—that my job was to teach people how to draw. She stared back at me, incredulous, and said, You mean they forget?
Howard IkemotoEvery child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.
Pablo Picasso
How often do we forget our greatness? How often do we lose who we are, and the gifts we carry within us, to the noise and chatter of the outside world?
In my first Taos Tribe workshop, my group coaching program for creatives, visionaries, healers, and trailblazers, I started the group off by asking them not to introduce themselves until a later point in the morning. I gave them each a piece of plain white paper with a mask drawn on it. They were to use only blue or black ink (boring for artists and creatives) and fill the mask in with all the labels they wear on a day to day basis. Some of the labels were based in titles such as mom, dad, wife, husband, employee, and so on. Other labels were around the way they felt or had been told the world outside themselves saw them. Some of those labels included words like flaky, scattered, unfocused, and the like.
As you can imagine, the energy of the room became heavy as the group “decorated” their masks. I asked them to look at the words on their masks. Did those words really belong to them? Did they accurately and truly describe who they were? Most in the room shook their head no with a distinct sadness to them. The group was then asked to fold, tear up, or throw away the mask paper.
I pulled out markers, colorful pens, crayons, colored pencils, and an assortment of brightly colored paper. There were no masks drawn on the new paper. The group was asked to select any paper they wanted. They were encouraged to use any pens, markers, crayons, or colored pencils that suited them. The assignment was to use this new page to describe, draw, and communicate in any way that suited them, who they truly are or want to be, behind the mask and behind what others saw and thought of them.
The energy shift in the room was immediate. They were busy designing descriptions of who they really are and wanted to become. Creativity was palpable in the room. The room felt hopeful and full of possibility. The focus and concentration shared by the group was inspiring to watch.
Using their new descriptions, the group was asked to introduce themselves based on who they are behind the mask. If they wanted to be an artist and a writer, they were instructed to introduce themselves as such. No labels from the first mask were allowed. This was about them speaking their Greatness out loud to others. The anxious looks turned to satisfied smiles as each one stepped a bit more fully into who they really were. They were told this was how they were to show up for this group. They were also asked to fully support the others in the group as they too came out from behind the mask. At points during the workshop, tears came as someone realized their dreams were worthy and real.
The outcome of that exercise has been fantastic. This group has become a “soul family” by choice. They encourage each other in their pursuit to live more and more away from their masks. They stand with and for each other, holding one another accountable to forward movement, and offering a safe place to stand fully in the Gifts of their Greatness. Understanding and gentle nudges are offered to help each other get back into play when anyone stumbles off course a bit. The courage each one demonstrated as they allowed the masks to fall gave courage to the others. Stepping into their gifts of greatness put a light on the path for those behind them to see and follow. It has been beautiful to witness.
Anything or anyone that does not bring you alive is too small for you
David Whyte, from Danielle Laporte’s book, The Fire Starter Sessions.
Stepping into the Gifts of Greatness requires leaving whatever “small” means to you behind. It means stepping into the unknown. It requires courage, dedication, and a willingness to move beyond what the world sees in you and fully into who you are at the core of your spirit. Coaching is the perfect companion for this extraordinary adventure.
Through coaching, clients have the opportunity to explore what is holding them back. They are invited to dig deeper and see what they really want and need in their life. They are “seen”, heard and validated. Their dreams are witnessed. Those are the first steps in bringing their greatness out of its slumber. It’s powerful medicine for the soul and the world.
Just imagine what things might be like if we all chose to live fully in the Gifts of our Greatness. You are cordially invited to live this extraordinary life and to be a candle that starts the movement to light the world. I hope you choose to come along with me.