| The
Gift of Connection
by Sharon Watson
During
Foundations, I chose the practice of “being
present.” Previously, it was much safer
for me to leave the room than stay and connect
with someone. My practice was to stay focused
by maintaining eye contact while talking to someone,
to repeat what the person said back so I know
I heard them, and to stay vulnerable within myself.
I felt like I had just touched the tip of the
iceberg, there was much more hidden underneath
the surface.
I decided
to take Personal Mastery and continue these practices
and begin exploring the depth of my iceberg. It
was time to grow and change my behavior pattern,
to risk being present. Having three months with
a coach, buddies and the rest of the group was
a great way for me to work on my goal. With everyone
else knowing what I was working on, they helped
me stay on track. The group provided me with me
feedback, so I noticed when I had been present
with them. Of course, it wasn’t that hard
being present because I found myself really focusing
on my practices when I was with the group. I found
I started making changes in my personal life as
well, which was a pleasant surprise.
During
Personal Mastery, my experience was that people
don’t actually go away when I am myself.
They love me no matter what, and if they don’t,
it’s really okay. So, much of the way I
have been living is so old and a part of my imagination,
that I recognize even more now that I have a choice
in how I choose to be. In that vein, by the end
of the three months, my last coach, Bruce, helped
me come up with a mantra for myself: I am a mature,
wise woman with choices. As a facilitator during
the January Foundations, I was able to add a new
word to my mantra, thus making it: I am a mature,
feminine, wise woman with choices.
The
intimacy I found in Personal Mastery is something
I have never found in any other area of my life,
even though I have been in other groups for quite
some time. I have made friends that I believe
will be a part of my life for a long time. I bonded
with people I may never have spoken with before.
I will be going to my Heart Initiation with people
I met during my Foundations. To be on a continuing
path with these people is truly a gift. I feel
like a have a much larger family now, and a healthier
one at that.
Return
to Soulwork
|
