‘”One thing must not be forgotten. Forget all else, but remember this, and you will have no regrets. Remember everything else, but ignore this one thing, and you will have done nothing. It is as if a king sent you on a mission to foreign land to perform one special task for him. If you do a hundred things, but not this appointed task, what have you accomplished? Human beings come into the world for a particular purpose, and if they forget it they would have done nothing at all.” Rumi
Recently I’ve had numerous conversations with clients, friends and family dealing with significant changes in their lives, business and careers. In a few conversations the idea of being happy and fulfilled seems to be a distant dream. Some have come to realize they are not happy in their current career and desire to do something with more purpose, some are traversing the job market due to downsizing and some are trying to figure out how to keep their current job or business going during “tough” times. Most of the time the conversation leads to trying to find a connection to something that is in the background of their immediate grasp. As a start up company I’ve had my share of ups and downs and have had my own challenges that I can relate to their situations. I’ve also been privileged to have the training and support during my coaching certification to help others through my coaching work. The fundamental questions that come to mind when engaged in these conversations is “Where is the suffering?” and “What is the one thing that would be most helpful?” The answers are personal and may need much exploration and focus of attention to realize, however if the area of focus can be identified the work can begin.
Over the last year I have seen how simple (not easy) the answers come if we can create space in our lives. The one consistent path is to start with self-awareness. As an avid reader I was in a bookstore recently and was in awe of the amount of self help books filling the shelves. Like diet books the various authors promise “the answer” to personal fulfillment is in the pages if you just follow their program. It is a booming business and while I am not discounting the value of exploring various resources, including reading books, I was overwhelmed by the shear number of books available on the topic of self-help. Where to start is an individual choice and when made with mindfulness, support and direction can open many paths to explore. Without these supportive elements it can lead to further frustrations.
In this time of holiday celebration I am so grateful to have been given a chance to help others traverse the waters of change and that for me is the greatest gift, my “one thing”.
