A few weeks ago, I was sitting on a plane ride home on a Saturday afternoon after delivering a keynote presentation at the MDVIP CONFERENCE.
Ignoring my beckoning email inbox to listen to music, I came across a Van Morrison song I hadn’t listened to in a long while, called WHENEVER GOD SHINES HIS LIGHT.
I was struck by how this line in the lyrics is a metaphor for this year for me: He lifts you up, turns your around, puts your feet back on higher ground..
Whatever one’s spiritual or religious beliefs, life’s path seems to be shaped by two strong forces:
1. Our human drive to self-actualize and assert control over our destiny to improve ourselves and to make the world a better place.
2. The forces of the universe which…
Do what the Rolling Stones described as “YOU CAN’T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT… YOU GET WHAT YOU NEED”
OR they lift us up, turn us around, and put our feet back on higher ground.
My higher ground this year includes a surprise surgery that took me to higher ground physically, and the experience of discovering a new way to think about COACHING THE WHOLE PERSON, OR SELF-COACHING OUR WHOLE SELVES, which took me to higher ground intellectually and emotionally.
Some higher scientific ground on the type of positive emotions that improve physical health inspired me this year: Nature and Scientific American just published an article titled: HOW HAPPINESS BOOSTS THE IMMUNE SYSTEM. It describes the work of Barbara Fredrickson and Steve Cole and their July 2013 paper which proposes that having a purpose beyond oneself is related to improved gene expression of the immune system. Living for a higher purpose makes us physically healthier and more resilient – mentally and physically.
To encourage your reflection on your life’s path – the intersection of your drive to self-actualize, your higher purpose, and this year’s forces of the universe, I want to share a webinar on Meaning-Making from my Organize Your Mind® series as a holiday gift: WEBINAR ON MEANING MAKING.
Coach Meg