Thursday, September 15, 2016

What Colour is Your Parachute?

You have a longing, a missing something, a piece of you yet to be discovered. There is a talent, a natural inclination and ability, a propensity toward what you are good at. While you know it is there, it has not become, it is on the waiting list of actualization. Potential wanting to be tapped. The niggling feeling you have is slightly uncomfortable and while it is a behind the scenes white noise hum in the background of your psyche, you carry on with everyday business. Business as usual, in other words.
You have stumbled upon your excellence before, tripped over it ALMOST by accident. Chances are, it was an innocent discovery during childhood, a certain activity that you could get lost in for countless wonderful hours. What was that thing again, the one you loved doing so much?
I remember working through the book What Colour is Your Parachute, a book so well used and received that it is revised annually. From my internet search, I learned that a free audiobook is available-check it out if you are intrigued.
Back to our theme. While working through this book, I had to tell my own stories, recall the me of my youth and in so doing, I discovered what my first real career would be. At the time, there were very few of "us", us being Personal Trainers. Being a trainer was novel in 1996 and drew attention-this is my twentieth year as a self employed trainer. I felt than and I feel now, blessed for what I believe was and is, a calling. Prior to the exercises I completed using the book, I had no clue what I wanted to be in this world. What Colour is Your Parachute guided me to myself. I worked hard to be an excellent trainer and while I made many a mistake, I do believe that my efforts have paid off. It is not how much money I have made or how many clients I can say I have trained. Success for me is about retention, referrals and the trust that clients repeated place in our relationship when we start our work(outs) together. I have several irons in the fire, other careers that I pursue actively, because I love to learn. With each new endeavour, I commit to being not so great at first with the expectation that with persistence, I can achieve greatness, excellence and a reputation for delivering services worth investing in. All of my pursuits are based on my joy factor, activities that I feel alive engaging in. This is how I know I have potential in an area that can be actualized.
Why am I sharing this with you Dear Reader? It is because it is YOUR turn now, your you of youth that gets to be revisited. You get to rediscover what you love so much you could get lost for hours in it. Perhaps you have the "it" already? If this be true, we are all very happy for you! If by chance you don't yet have the certain something(s) that light your fire and heat up your iron(s), isn't it time? What colour is YOUR parachute? Everyone is anxiously awaiting the real, fully alive you, to show up. Give us all the gift of you figuring the big part out so we can enjoy you in action. Blood sweat and tears invested can pay big dividends in expertise and service to other. Find this out for yourself. 

No comments:

Post a Comment