Turning Problems Around

TURNING PROBLEMS AROUND
©  Irene Becker, www.justcoachit.com

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Today, many of us start and finish each day in a race.  A race against stress, a race against traffic, a race to do more, be more, get more…and often times we face challenges that can decrease our passion, deaden our potential and make us feel that we are driving our car with the gas pedal to the floor and going no where.

One of the reasons that I did a certification in emotional intelligence was that I realized a year in to my coaching practice that smart, fast and values driven are critical but they are not enough.  Personal, business and professional success at the speed of change requires a whole new set of competencies, competencies like optimism, intentionality and resilience that increase as we develop our EQ.

But the seedbed for developing our EQ starts long before we delve into this important area of personal development.  I believe that it starts when we realize that trying to master or control change is a fool’s game because change is inherently volatile and often totally unpredictable.  Success cannot be realized by trying to control or master the unmasterable. But, when we stretch out of the comfort zone by trying to develop a new a new perspective of accepting changes and trying to use them as a tool that can help us grow and learn; our consciousness begins to shift and so does our sense of personal power.  Here is an insightful parable I read in the book True Prosperity by Y. Berg:

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand! Every problem is an opportunity to improve our condition.

© Irene Becker www.justcoachit.com