I was once speaking with the personal assistant of one of my most influential clients. A large part of her job is to be the “gatekeeper” – the ultimate guardian of her boss’ time and schedule.
But when I asked her how often she actually had to “keep the gate”, she said that it was surprising to her how seldom people really tried to get past her and speak directly with her boss.
For many years I believed that some people had more potential than others – that somehow external circumstances dictated the limits of what’s possible. But what I have come to see is that all human beings have the same access to universal principles that serve as both a grounding and a compass – a place to come from and a source of wisdom and guidance in our lives.
Some years ago, I came across a version of this story in the book Zen Flesh, Zen Bones by Paul Reps…I loved this story when I first read it and was convinced I understood it – but of course even as I do now, it only made sense at the level of my understanding at the time.
Here are three things that commitment does that make it a wonderful tool to be used as opposed to a heavy burden to be feared:
1. Commitment helps you banish doubt
Those of you who are regular readers of these tips will recognize the opening line from my favorite quote by W.H. Murray:
“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness…”
Traditional coaching takes place primarily on a horizontal dimension – coaches assist their clients in getting from point ‘A’ to point ‘B’. Yet lasting, sustainable change nearly always happens in the vertical dimension – a deepening of the ground of being of the client and greater access to inspiration and spiritual wisdom.