The manager looked dejected and hopeless. From her point of view, she had tried repeatedly to help the person on her team be successful in her role. Yet, here was another email threatening to go to HR if she were not given more support and help from the manager. 

The ballroom was full of energy and excitement! Music filled the air, and people dressed in their best gowns and suits, filled the dance floor. The last dance ended, and the announcer called our heat; it was time to report to the floor.

We stood in place, facing one another as the Waltz began; I moved into the dance frame and counted aloud, “1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3”.

I expected my student to begin his steps on the next phrase of the music as we had practiced. Instead, we stood still.

As I looked out the window of the coffee shop, I observed a young child, maybe 2 or 3, crying and upset. She had lost sight of her parent and was scared. She stayed close to the front door.

Another adult witnessing her distress tried to get her to turn around to see that her parent was just around the corner. She would not move or take any action. She remained fixed and continued to cry and cling to the door.

As I watched this scene, it made me think about how adults can also get stuck in fixed patterns of waiting and complaining…maybe even crying like the child, because we don’t want to take an action that feels so scary and uncomfortable.  

Last weekend, while channel surfing, I came upon a scene in a movie where a group of people were stranded in the jungle. Their boat had crashed, and a giant snake was killing members of the group.

As panic took over, everyone began pointing the finger and blaming others for how they had arrived in their current predicament; all of which was serving no value in solving their problem. It was however, successfully creating more crisis and panic.

Finally, some sanity returns to the group as one member says, "Deal with it!", and reminds the group that arguing about what got them in the situation is not going to get them out.

Learning to accept parts of yourself that you don’t like can be difficult. The challenge that comes with increased self-awareness is that you come face to face with your shadow side; you know, the little devil that sits on your shoulder and whispers negative thoughts into your brain.

The thing to remember about that little devil is that he wants to be loved and accepted.

Tuesday started out like a Monday. I had to get up at 5:00 that morning. I was tired and as I was organizing my things, my coffee cup fell into my computer bag…soaking everything; notepads, pens, papers, and the computer. The door and carpet got a good dose too! 

Irritated and highly annoyed, I started the process of cleaning everything up. As I took out each item and wiped it down, I was aware of two conversations running in my mind.