Whose life is it anyway?

Although the term privilege is often misused, or even weaponized, as the author states, I don’t agree that it is time to retire the word. Instead I would propos...e that we work to further distinguish the term and how we use it. The consciousness around privilege that has arisen in the last few years has given so many people who are on the losing side of injustice a context for seeing and naming a dynamic that has led to much blindness from those gifted with advantages to reach positions of power. The context of privilege is merely a window that when used well can add the qualities of gratitude and humility to power dynamics. Just because the word privilege is misused by some as an insult, does not mean that one has to hold it that way. I am grateful for the privileges afforded to me, and knowing that I have had easier access to basic needs such as education and healthcare inspires me to want to work towards a more just system. To do otherwise could be a form or arrogance, apathy, or even subtle racism, all qualities that I am motivated to diminish in myself and I can’t diminish these ways of being if I can’t see them. While we are learning to work in healthy ways with this term it will be messy at times. Some people will feel shame, others will resist and deny, unwilling to look at a system that benefits them. Often we fight for the position of victim, because it’s become chic to play that part. It can be difficult to fight the mob mentality of an accusation of privilege, but that is part of the work that I think must be done in order to further evolve our awareness of systemic injustice.

Although this article is a few years old, a friend posted it this week and I was intrigued, as I think it points to a huge problem of our time and a slippery slope that can occur with poor coaching. Many people are so stressed about economics, politics, social justice, the environment, and so many other effects of neoliberal capitalism that self-care can become imperative and the primary focus of coaching, often to the detriment of real change that could shift the causes rath...Continue reading

I appreciate studies that prove what many of us already know. We are happiest when we are in a state of flow! When our minds and hearts are aligned and present in what we are doing we are more likely to experience happiness. My favorite flow state activity is dancing. When I fall into states of play, presence, spontaneity, and movement, it's like hitting the reset button. I drop the chatter and arrive back to me. What do you do to get into flow states? "We found that people a...re substantially less happy when their minds are wandering than when they’re not, which is unfortunate considering we do it so often. Moreover, the size of this effect is large how often a person’s mind wanders, and what they think about when it does, is far more predictive of happiness than how much money they make, for example." https://medium.com//your-life-circumstance-has-a-lot-less- See more

In order to take effective action towards our goals and dreams we need to be able to view our assessments with as much clarity as possible. This is a great summary of a number of common human blind spots, places where we as a species get stuck in perceptions that limit our ability to correctly assess our possibilities. Which of these do you think might be limiting you?

I find this to be a beautiful and accurate description of empathy. I believe that entering into the world of another is a sacred act and needs to be done with reverence, respect, curiosity, and love. When we feel the loving presence of another in our world then we can more easily drop our fears, stories, habitual unconscious responses and play in the light.