One of the lessons my late father taught me was that "...there are no problems in life, only challenges and opportunities." As a 19 year old, I found this completely ridiculous. My life seemed filled with problems, not least the sick father who was trying to impart his wisdom on me while he still could. Last year, I studied with one of my long time mentors in a mastermind, together with peers from almost every continent. He taught us that the only place we will ever find problems are within our own minds. Everything else is simply circumstances. He insisted that if we see things as circumstances, we neutralise the negative energy we oftentimes cast upon "what is". Apparently this time I was ready for the wisdom, and I found this to be true. But also challenging to maintain. ...because you know, our patterns run deep, right? As we edge closer to the exciting event I get to be part of next week - the True Self Summit - this lesson came back around again. Third time lucky. I was connecting with one of my colleagues and summit presenters who is a strategy consultant and executive coach with a big mission in the world to mobilise willing warriors to bring more good upon humanity. She reminded me about an important distinction that sets the frame for how we see the world: 1) Break-fix (or problem/solution, if you prefer) 2) Creator If you're operating from the break-fix orientation, your mind is primed to see what is not working and focus on that. The focus may be one that is limiting, but can also offer the chance to restore order - i.e. "fix". We can make progress here, there is no doubt. Sometimes great progress. But there is another frame available, that might allow for something new. If you're operating from the creator orientation, you see life as more fluid. You are better able to see opportunities and think outside of the box. Life seems a little more malleable, and you believe that you can shape it in a way that is beneficial for you and the world. At a guess, if you're anything like me, you can probably identify some areas of your life where you operate from one orientation, and other areas where you operate from the other. For example, I look at my business from the creator orientation. But I notice that it's harder to use this frame when I think about something like my weekly fitness routine. What about you, ? And what might become available to you if you are able to move beyond problem detection and see circumstances as just that; circumstances? I wrote a not-unrelated post about some of these ideas on LinkedIn last week. Maybe you'll find that interesting too. It was about the Drama Triangle, the victim-villain-hero dynamic that can play out in our lives. I believe we are all capable of being creators. I feel this way because I was once a purebred break-fix person. Always looking for my next morsel of "hard" to tackle. Blessed was I to stumble upon a path which would shake up all of my paradigms for how the world works, and I continue to enjoy (and sometimes really not) the challenges and opportunities and creations that are met and metamorphosed along this path. (Oh, hello there inner poet. 👋) Anyway, I'm feeling such gratitude that I get to be MC for this event. The people I am co-creating with (did you see what I did there?) are exceptional. We're serious and silly, heart-ful and hearty, vibrant and genuine, kind and responsible. We're lots of things. Aren't we all? One of my favourite things about the event is that I know it's going to be helpful for those who are just dipping their toes into this whole personal growth thing, as well as those who've been to a few rodeos. That's your cue. If you want to simply join for one session, or if you'd like to join for the lot, you're most welcome. Click the image below to register free.
Here's a quick run down of the agenda for all my detail-oriented readers (I get you): Day 1 - Increasing Awareness of Your True Self Awaken Your Truth - with Michelle Beaulieu Align Your Life and Values - with Jose Alejandro Rodriguez Exploring Your Inner World - with Michael Mann 3 Key Mistakes Keeping You From Being Your True Self - with Rachel Curran Day 2 - Expressing and Being Your True Self Manifesting Financial Wellness - with Katy Mazzara Create Healthy Boundaries in Relationships - with Chel Cartmill Expressing Creativity and Joy - with Patryce King Discover the Truth about Affirmations - with Zach Carlsen Day 3 - Living As Your True Self Inspirational You - with Georgie Muir What's Next? How to Become Your Future Self - with Sam Cartegena Your Personal Peak Performance Blueprint - with Anca van Assendelft Event Recap, Integration and Next Steps - with Anne van der Giessen All sessions run about 30 minutes and replays are available for a minimum of 3 days post event (shhh, don't tell I told you, but we're planning to extend it so you have another weekend to reflect back! Great for you Aussies who will be sleeping when we're live). And if you want to immerse yourself some more, VIP registration gets you access to an hour of small group coaching with the panelists each day. If you know someone who think is a wonderful person and could do with embracing their True Self a little more, I encourage you to share this email with them and tell them why they're important to you. All of you is welcome. And everyone is welcome (as long as you don't mind a little bit of finding your own edges). And as for that distinction - stay curious about where you get to move from fixer to creator. Thank you for showing up. Keep showing up.
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