A common question in transpersonal coaching is, “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?” And most of the time, whenever I actually ask that question in a session, the same phenomenon takes place. The point of the question is completely bypassed by the person’s Left Brain analytical mechanism. They immediately attempt to qualify the question with their version of ‘reality’ which is that to dream this big is a waste of time. “I can’t quit my job and become a full time painter because I have to pay the bills”, or “It’s pointless to go there because it will never happen” and a hundred variations thereof.
The truth of the exercise is that it doesn’t have to be rational. It’s not a solution to any problem, it’s an exercise in creative thinking.
The philosophy of transformational coaching is that the process isn’t supposed to grant you magical solutions to incalculable problems. The entire foundation of coaching is that we all have the answers inside of us. We just have to learn to access those answers. Sometimes the truth of our being and the location of our problem-solving abilities are buried deep within years of external programming that ceased to be ours decades ago. Through the needs of our family, the expectations of our society, the countless responsibilities our roles require of us, and the pressures of our work, our own pure essence can be so diluted over time we lose touch with who we truly are.
The question, “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?” is a roadmap to connect with our dreams. It’s supposed to be fun. It’s play. It doesn’t have to make sense and it doesn’t even have to come true. It’s designed to help us exercise our desires… something that many of us have forgotten the meaning of.
Try it. Answer the question. Allow yourself to run wild. Be outlandish and nonsensical. Once you have the energy of those desires coursing through your heart, I can promise you a seed will be planted. With a little attention, I place no limit on what can grow there.
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