Endurance

Open up a dictionary and you will find that the definition of "endurance" is: the ability to withstand hardship or adversity; especially the ability to sustain a prolonged stressful effort or activity. The concept of endurance, of course, commonly relates to the notion that there is a specific event or difficulty that we face and must decide whether to practice endurance or turn away and either quit our efforts or not even begin them out of fear, frustration, or any number of emotions. But, I believe it's important for us to also consider whether or not we approach life in general from the idea that we have to "endure" it. Too often, we settle for old concepts about life--work, relationships, health, spirituality, and so on. The concept that "life is hard," "things could be worse," "you have to pull yourself up by your bootstraps," etc. When we consciously or subconsciously subscribe to these type of beliefs, life often becomes something we are perpetually enduring, and through that belief system, we inevitably suffer. Yet, the other side of this coin is the age old wisdom which teaches us to not fight against the current, to "flow with life." But sometimes, the current can get so powerful knocking us into rocks and pulling us under, that it is our innate human wiring to fight to survive. In crisis, so often, all of our logical, philosophical, or spiritual "beliefs" fall by the wayside and our bodies and minds can only focus on pure survival. This is not only understandable, but the way we have evolved over millions of years--it's the default reaction each one of us has--but too often, we are living in a perpetual state of crisis, and it is not only unsustainable but it's deadly for our physical, emotional, and spiritual selves. So, what's my point in all of this? Endurance, in it's pure definition, when used and applied appropriately, can be one of our greatest skills and strengths, but if we mistakenly subscribe to the negative beliefs that "life is hard" or "this is as good as it gets," then we create an illusion around endurance and set ourselves up to suffer immensely when it is unnecessary. Life is not something to simply endure, but it so easily can become so when we have betrayed ourselves, our dreams, our calling, and our soul's purpose. You do not have to settle. You do not have to endure endless pain, sadness, uncertainty, or disconnection from love, happiness, and fulfillment. You get to decide that you are fed up with suffering, with a life or dreams feeling half-lived, with unfulfilling relationships--with whatever it is in your life that you have been "enduring" believing that this is as good as it gets. So, how do you know if you're subscribing to these negative beliefs about life, especially if they're subconscious or unconscious? Coaching provides an exceptional opportunity where, unlike therapy, we don't dig into every childhood memory or past event trying to pinpoint where, when, or why you are not living the life of your dreams. In no way am I against professional therapy and in many instances, it's a great support alongside of coaching. Through coaching, we work on specific goals and approaches to retrain your brain and challenge the beliefs that are no longer working, to get you on the path to a more fulfilled experience in life. And, this is where Endurance Life Coaching shines. Through setting new goals and having support, you can begin to practice endurance in the way it's always been meant to be practiced--to move you toward the goals and dreams you so deeply want to achieve. I'm here to help you stop enduring life and start truly living the life YOU desire.

The Nagging of the Call

Every one of us has a calling, even if we don't yet know what our calling is. A calling often finds us through an incessant nagging of a whisper in our soul that only grows louder, until we either find new ways to distract ourselves from its message or finally choose to stop running from it and listen. The moment we embrace the Call within each of us is transformational, even if we are still unclear about our entire path. What matters is that we are finally willing to put one foot in front of the other and consciously walk down an authentic path toward our innate, unique purpose on this planet. In a world with the constant pressure and demands of what it means to be successful, happy, purposeful, inspiring, wealthy, and desirable, it takes incredible bravery to look ourselves in the mirror and listen to our soul's Call. Sometimes, following our Call involves taking risks that others do not understand, standing up for causes others do not agree with, or going against what's normal or expected of us in our families, relationships, or communities. Yet, the risk to ignore our Call is immeasurably more costly to ourselves, families, relationships, and communities. Not only does the Call in us only get louder and more pronounced the more we ignore it, often making it impossible to drown out and leaving you in a constant state of confusion or anxiety about the course of your life, but what would this world be if so many people would have ignored their Call in life? Jesus of Nazareth, the Buddha, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela...the list of extraordinary people who have lived their callings cannot possibly be captured here. People might baulk and say, "Those are extreme examples of people with Callings--we aren't all going to change the world like that." What I'd like to remind you today is that some of the most transformative figures throughout history did not have the privilege of seeing the breadth of their impact on the world. They died before they possibly could see the continued change their Calling made to the very life of millions of people. Yet, the absence of prestige or accolades did not keep them from serving from their soul and heeding the Call within them. It is not your job to find a way to control the breadth of impact your Call will have on the world--it's your job to listen to the whisper within you nudging you toward a higher purpose. Just as you cannot succeed in silencing the voice of the Call, you cannot control the message and impact of the Call. Surrendering to it means you let go of the result and walk on toward your Calling trusting that if it CALLED you to embrace and live it, it has the inherent power to carry you through. There is not one of us on this planet who does not have a unique calling and path to follow in order to become the most complete, fulfilled, and powerful version of ourselves. Callings do not care what culture you've grown up in, how much money is in your bank account, who you do or do not know--they flow from a source infinitely greater than and indiscriminate of circumstance. And, when you take that first step into the direction of your heart's longing and soul's calling, you peel back the veil of the illusion of scarcity, lack, impossibilities, and unleash the infinite, unlimited, abundance of possibility that has always been waiting to be birthed in and through you.