Alicia Lee
In October 2006 I attended my first course on personal development. Having previously had counselling to deal with some of the issues that I had dragged with me through childhood, I wasn’t sure at the time what personal development was about or how I would benefit. What became apparent to me that first weekend was that things I thought I had dealt with were only buried, so I wouldn’t have to look at them closely. The emotional pain of some painful childhood experiences was a very real and alive part of my life. There was barely a day went by when I didn’t cry at something, even the adverts on the television would set me off. I believed that living like this was something that everybody did and perfectly normal. I never for one moment realised I had a choice in the matter, that I could have the tools and techniques and use them on a daily basis to help me live a life free of emotional rubbish, to be able to feel comfortable in my own skin, and as my mentor, my inspiration and my very dear friend Margaret Abraham likes to say ‘to shine like only you do’. To shine, for me is to live without fear of rejection, to accept fully who I am, to cope with everyday situations rather than reacting to them, and to enjoy every minute of the journey. Today I like to ‘shine’.
So, I’d like to share with you a very special part of my journey – the beginning. We all need a place to start, a foundation on which to build. Attending my very first course on personal development opened up a part of me I barely knew existed and with this opening up came an extraordinary moment of clarity, creativity, and ultimately acceptance of the woman I was in that moment. I’d like to share with you a poem, a poem I wrote the day my journey began.
Acceptance
Today I heard you crying, I understood your pain,
I sat with you and waited, only quietness remained.
I felt your desperate longing, a chasm through your heart,
You screamed at me in silence as your soul was torn apart.
The gifts I gave were simple, the first was pure and true,
I offered you undying love, so you could look into,
The mirror that I gave you, to reflect upon your life,
You took the gifts and wondered, then trusted deep inside.
I held your hand so tightly, you knew that you were safe,
Together we began to go into the darkest place,
The place that you were hiding, for all the world to see,
Was not so overwhelming for you knew that you had me.
Again I heard you crying, I understood your pain,
I sat with you and waited, you began to feel again,
The rays of warming sunshine, the rain upon your face
The journey was beginning I felt you touch my face,
I found that I was crying, tears of perfect joy,
You understood my happiness, my gifts became your toys.
Today I heard you laughing, you learnt the lesson well,
The lesson was acceptance, of all within yourself.
For me this poem sums up exactly what life-coaching is all about, and how powerful it can be. It is the impetus that has led me to train fully and devote my life to doing something that nurtures my soul. The tools and techniques I have learnt and put into practice every day have truly become my toys. I am passionate now to pass on these experiences, to share my toys, to delight in the joy that sharing these toys can bring. Needless to say I am not the woman I was that day, there was so much more to me that I refused to believe existed, today I like to let this woman out, to free her completely so she can shine, like only she does.
