What blinds us can also take us forward

There is so much good stuff going on in this world. So much happening at the forefront. So many people striving to live at their edge, pushing boundaries, extending human potential, our capacity as a species and transforming their lives.

I, for one, work on this daily with my quest for spiritual empowerment, living outside the box and in general living a life transformed from the generally-accepted to something tailored for me.

I see this all around me in the motivated teacher, in the passionate parent and in those who dedicate themselves to science, music or art. Anyone whose aim is to change the world for the better - whether through illumination, transformation, learning or love (or a combination) - is transforming themselves by making the world a better place, and transforming the world by making themselves a better person.

Yesterday I was reading Scientific American from March 2014 and stumbled across a gem of an article about why good thoughts block better ones and saw many parallels with the world of personal transformation.

Essentially, because I'm not going to explain the science too much, this article talked about studies into a loophole in the brain (called the Einstellung Effect) where it will choose a strategy or thought pattern we are familiar with rather than look for or notice a better path.

This happens all the time when we're working on making our lives better, when we're reframing our situation to find the joy.

Its why changing-up our existence to something higher feels like such a shift internally.

This is how we can miss the truth of our own situations and continue to make excuses, one reason why we allow resistance to rule.

Think you might be immune to this?

See how much these questions resonate for you...

- How often have you been blind to a better way of living, or a better way of doing something, simply because you didn't see it any other way until someone else did it first?

- Have you felt that expansion when your world opens up and you see ways ahead that you didn't see before, even when nothing appears to have changed?

- Have you acted with your heart, rather than your head, and felt a way forward that you previously couldn't identify?

I'm betting the Einstellung Effect has something to do with this.

So what can we do about it? How can we overcome the inertia of the hardwiring of our brains in order to see beyond our current thoughts and limitations?

Well, primarily I think we can lead with our hearts first, rather than our logic, when making big, perspective-shifting changes in our lives. For its from our hearts that awe, grace and a greater perception can be felt, and from there a pathway to a transformed life.

Secondly, use some of Byron Katie's marvellous work to turn your thinking around - ask yourself; how can the opposite be true? - and see what your brain comes up. I've done this many times and am always surprised by the way I can find evidence for multiple ways of looking at things in my life.

Thirdly, work with a coach or mentor. Personally I used to think that life coaches and mentors were a waste of time and money - why pay someone else for help when I could read the book myself and spend some time alone working it out? But then I stumbled upon a Passion Test Coach almost by accident and found the process of working with someone else, someone who didn't know me already, to be highly beneficial when wanting to make positive changes in my life. Since then I've worked with a second coach (Tara Bliss - I've written about her here) for a longer period, and in both cases I have been able to see beyond my limiting thoughts and beliefs, to expand my awareness of myself and to expose my blindness. I'm positive that this wouldn't have happened had I stayed working alone.

For me this has been life-changing, and the reason that I'm now a passionate coach also.

These strategies, I believe, help us to overcome this loophole in the functioning of our brains and allow us to illuminate the blindness with which we can be looking at our current situations.

Some further questions for you to consider...

How are you being blind to the joy in your life?

Where do you want to see improvement but can't find a way forward?

What are you taking for granted?

Wishing you a momentous day.

Carolyn xx

Transformational Learning

"The more radical the person is, the more fully he or she enters into reality so that, knowing it better, he or she can transform it" - Paolo Freire

As a teacher there was a paradigm that always piqued my interest and triggered my passions - it is transformative learning. For me this means that moment/class/activity when a learner has an 'aha moment' - where something has shifted inside and a new perspective is reached. This was what drove me as an educator and what drives me now as a coach and parent.

This is what we're all looking for...

Educational research around transformative learning has been building for some time, but I also see parallels with wellness and personal transformation which make it relevant to every one of us who is seeking to transform their lives into their ideal lives and in turn transform the world.

I'm calling it Transformational Learning...

And it goes hand in hand with transformational living and leadership.

To give you an idea of the relevant educational research, a transformative education including listening, dialogue, action and reflection (rather than a 'stand-and-deliver' style of education). Learners are fully engaged in what they're learning - they're turned on, fired up, in the moment and creatively involved.

"Transformative (learning) prepares people for change" (from here)

As a coach, parent and educator I find myself often thinking don't we all want this?

Don't we all want to be engaged in our lives?

To be transformed into our ideal selves?

To be creative, reflective and living in the moment?

Is there, perhaps, a new shift we can make to learn and live transformationally?