Just a heads up before we start, you will easily find you can identify with “Feather, Bricks and Trucks” that have already shown up in your own life, and will do so from now onward, when I start to share this story with you.
Do you sometimes find that life has a way of trying to tell you something?
Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.
In this video I share my own understanding of an analogy I was introduced to, back in 2011, about the Feather, the Brick and the Truck.
Once you’ve listened, you may have a few examples of your own feathers, bricks or trucks from life or business, come to mind or that you scribbled down as you listened?
A coaching tip for you: I get my clients to share these sorts of stories of their experiences early on in our coaching relationship OR even as and when they crop up in the client’s life. Then, by way of reflection on such times, I have them ask themselves at least these 2 questions:
“What was/is the good in this?” and
“What lessons can I learn from this?”
Back in my previous business that I’m talking about in the video, I took all of the lessons learnt and reflected on them as a leader of that business. I never stay in a ‘self-blame’ state though, as that is pointless and a waste of time that is needed for proactive actions. The business course I’d been to just before this particular feather, brick and truck, was Tony Robbin’s Business Mastery in Fiji, from which I took away a mandate of leadership that has saved me many times since, some of which was the words: “see things as they are, not worse than they are”… so I asked myself “What could I have done better? What could I have done differently? What questions do I need to ask, that I’ve not asked before?” and more.
I also included a new Agenda item in our weekly meetings based on what I’d learnt of as “Normal, Abnormal and Pathological Problems”. That helped us focus and reduce the recurrence of issues and errors that cropped up more than once, both during the difficult time we experienced plus in the time of bringing the business back to full operation and preparation for successful sale, as I’d planned 3 years earlier.
In life, history repeats itself until we learn the lesson we need to change our path. This is why the universe sends us the reminders in the form of a feather, a brick or a truck.
Our part is to learn the lessons early… and I do know that is not how it always happens! But we can either continue allowing history to repeat and suffer the life of staying exactly the same or suffer the pain of change put upon us; or learn our greatest lessons on our way to an even better life.
The only way to avoid the truck is to live a more conscious and more meaningful life. The secret is that WE are in charge of creating the meaning and the purpose in this one short life we have been given.
Unfortunately, most people in this busy, technology-distracting age, live unconsciously numbed. We use technology, food, drugs of choice, immediate gratification of shopping online, and gambling… or pick your own distractions I haven’t thought of. These distractions help to avoid dealing with issues or facing the changes we know we need to make.
It is in moments of decision that our life is transformed.
Tony Robbins
To become more consciously aware, it becomes easier to get a sense of our priorities. We EACH need to decide that there must be a better way in life.
We have to decide that we will focus on being a better version of ourselves and come up with a new set of choices, choose the first easiest step in that direction, and take action.
I shared this with you today because this has been a big part of my journey. I ignored the feather and the brick, as per the video story I shared, plus other times as well, and got the truck several times in different ways.
The journey is not always smooth or easy. I, like every other human-being, will get lots of feathers, an occasional brick and sometimes I will put myself inadvertently at risk of getting the truck!
That is life. It is risky and messy and beautiful all at the same time. But the risk of doing nothing at all is far greater than anything else.
I hope that this post supports you in learning to recognise your feathers a little better. Pay attention. Be more aware. Learn to become proactive vs reactive. Listen closely to what people are saying and what is happening around you. You might be surprised by the messages you have been missing!
If I can be off support to you as your thought- or belief-partner in life and business, I am a professionally trained coach. I coach people in all areas of their life – both in personal and business areas they want to make change in.
Thank you and take care,
Susan