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Selective Perspective
Picture this: A mother and daughter are looking at the snowfall from the front widow of their home. The daughter thinks: "Great, No school tomorrow." While Mom is thinking, "Great, how will I get to work tomorrow?" "Lights, Camera... Action!" By Elizabeth Tull Andrea Shea Hudson, www.andreasheahudson.com , a coaching friend of mine said to me recently: "If you're going to write the script for your life, why not write a great one?" The Blizzard of 2005 currently going on in New York was my thought with coffee this warm and sunny January morning here in Atlanta. After a quick prayer that no one was seriously harmed, a wave of homesickness swept through me. How beautiful Boston and New York City are during a snowfall. People outdoors and on-foot, the storm leaving traffic stilled and quieted which opens up the sound of those inhabiting the city without car horns blaring, mass transit buses, and the sea of yellow taxis. Many neighborhoods feeling like neighborhoods due to increased social activity available when the city is closing down. The various architectures covered in a blanket of undisturbed whiteness, allowing the environment to appear Norman Rockwell-ish, artistic and magical. An abundance of colored hats, gloves and scarves along with some very creative winter clothing for my neighbors and their pets. Children busy with snowball fights, people playing with their dogs, sledding in Central Park or The Boston Commons, snowmen and ice sculptures reflecting the voice of artists' talents and, of course, the smell of brownstone apartment fireplaces reminding me that there is a warm place awaiting - with a mug of hot chocolate or bowl of tomato soup. Sleep comes easily that night after a day of outdoor adventure, bonding, and rediscovery. Meanwhile back in Atlanta, the "adult" I was taught to be took over with my second cup of coffee: Puddles of slush, snow turning gray,brown and yellow; folks cranky due to mass transit systems and airports running off-schedule; salt and plow trucks blocking in vehicles and dirtying windshields. City sanitation workers unable to pick-up and discard piles of garbage; snow days from school with no childcare; frozen wiper blades; and having to walk to the store for provisions in the wind and cold. I smiled. How drastically my perceptions had altered and shifted. "The scripts I write are based on my perspectives, aren't they?" I commented to Andrea in my head. The two visions I had just created are two very different scripts based on two very different perspectives. I stood at a crossroad in my mind. Which perspective of the above two best reflect me today? I thought. I chose to open my recovery and coach training toolbox for the right questions to ask myself: Which perspective holds more value of the two visions I created? How do I look at the world and its going's on? Are there adventures and challenges or problems and defeats? Am I feeling scarcity or abundance? Is my glass half empty or over flowing? Do I see possibilities or stops and drama? Did I create the time to check in on these perceptions, or was I being reasonable: I am too busy, tired, over-committed and inundated with more important things. Then I thought: What could possibly be more important than checking in with or discovering my perspective, since that is the foundation that creates the way my life feels and how I feel about the life I create? My answer: The perspective I choose to live from today is a far cry from the perspective I was taught to have through my family experiences, the media, organizations from the past, grade school and my previous choices. I welcome crossroads today because thru them I have the power of choosing the direction I travel. Today I am free, willing and unafraid to recall experiences that may create homesickness, pain or longing in me. I can go home again without living in the past. There are memories there that leave me warm inside and not depressed while I am conscious to the gifts of my life here in Atlanta. It felt good this morning revisiting and picturing the possibilities of adventure, rediscovery and bonding during a snowstorm up north. I also believe anything I mourn over was worth having in the first place. So that I do not end up back in my story or in the past negatively, I use an allotted time frame while I revisit if I feel sadness, loss or pain. This is another new perspective for me. I was taught that you can't go home again and that the past should stay in the past. The empowerment I feel from choosing my perspective comes from my commitments and risk taking as well as long-term involvement in the recovery world, professional coaching, quality friends, mentors, and consistently making the time to discover and utilize the tools for living and not just existing. For me, living is always having a choice. Everyone has choices in everything though only a few of us learn how powerful that is when creating the present and future. Today I choose to not only discover and pick up the tools but to apply my energies for living into an extraordinary life. This I do by action around my commitments and that I do for my legacy, my children and my children's children. That's my script, and I'm sticking to it. "If you're going to write the script for your life, why not write a good one?" How important is it to understand your perspective? You decide. Extraordinary living is a birthright. Stake your claim. Live Gloriously, Do you know someone who needs a perceptional awakening? Are you living the rewards of Personal Excellence thru Legacy Design or Enhanced Recovery Living? Stop by and sign up for "The Coaching Catalyst" newsletter and make yourself at home: www.agapelegacycoach.com Elizabeth Tull is a Legacy Strategist who partners with others to design legacies of personal excellence. Her focus is assisting others in creating extraordinary experiences, relationships and fulfilling careers. Please visit or send any thoughts or feedback to: Elizabeth@agapelegacycoach.com" or just stop by and say "HI!" http://www.agapelegacycoach.com
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