Topic: Authentic Living Ezine
Try this experiment. You’ll need a radio, a newspaper or magazine of your choice, and preferable a friend, colleague or loved one willing to try this with you.
Part 1: Tune the radio between two broadcast signals on the AM band (where there is more talk and less music), until you are receiving two stations at the same time. Fine-tune the dial until you are not able to hear either station clearly. Turn the radio up loud and then read an article in the newspaper or magazine you have chosen and try to concentrate on what you are reading. Or, for even more effect, have a friend, colleague or loved one read the article to you out loud and try to concentrate on what they are saying. My bet is that you will find this quite annoying and exhausting and won’t want to do it very long.
Part 2: Repeat the above, but slowly lower the volume on the radio until it is very faint and barely audible. Note any differences in the experience.
Ask yourself what lessons might be learned from this experiment?
As a life coach, I help my clients observe that their minds are frequently tuned to lots of different broadcast stations at one time, and that all of these are filling their mental and emotional airwaves with often contradictory and heavily propagandized information.
The radio talk show host likes nothing better than to engage the call-in listener in a heated debate on some deeply emotional topic. The host always seems to think his or her opinion on this topic is the absolute truth, and has gathered lots of convincing evidence. “Yes, you betcha! Aliens have been running the federal government since 1951!”
Once a client begins to recognize that their inner broadcasts are competing for their attention and engagement like ring masters at a three-ringed circus, they can begin to turn down the volume on all that drama. Sure the drama is entertaining, but it can keep us from attaining the things we truly want, like meaning, purpose, and success in life.
As a coach, I support my clients in turning down the volume on the drama by coaching them to stop focusing their attention on what the boisterous talk show hosts in their head are saying, or on why they may be saying it, and to shift their focus instead to what really matters to them: their heart’s intentions and the contributions they are willing to make to their spouse, family, workplace, community, world, etc.
I help my clients identify their contributions. Where do they shine? How can they make each day an opportunity for personal and professional growth? How are they willing to show up so that each interaction they have is of benefit to themselves and others? Are they willing to find ways to broaden their perspective and become more fully present and loving? What small, effective, sweet actions can they take today, tomorrow, this week, to bring about a greater coherence between their hearts intentions and their tangible, physical, daily lives?
This shifting of focus followed by clear action is a powerful yet simple process that allows us to avoid getting hooked by the mental chatter and emotional drama that can drain energy and stop us in our tracks when it comes to achieving our goals in life.
I’ve seen clients make breakthroughs on long-time issues in only one or a few sessions using this astute combination of observation, truth telling and authentic action.
I invite you to try the radio experiment. I think you’ll find it informative. And if you want to learn how to turn down the volume on those annoying talk show hosts in your own head, give me a call. Let’s turn up the volume on what genuinely matters most to you, so you can empower your life!
Authentic Living Ezine by Eve West Bessier