we're gonna trip the light
I became aware of the idea of positive psychology a few years ago when I first stumbled upon this TED talk by Shawn Achor, and decided I needed to know more. Positive psychology is, in essence, the study of what works -- as some psychologists describe it, it is the study of "human thriving" (And you know love the sound of that.) I researched Achor's background and became intrigued, and then took a quick online overview course on positive psychology coaching from this organization, which was founded by Achor's positive psychology professor at Harvard. I loved every bit of it, and started using a lot of the research I learned from the course in the talks that I gave around the country.
Fast-forward to right after our home flooded, and I was preparing for a talk that I had to give in October. It was only then that I realized that all of the notes that I had taken while in that course had been washed away by the flood. I decided to log on to the WholeBeing website to see if I still had access to the course, but since it had been a few years, it was no longer available. I was so disappointed, but I noticed that registration for a 10-week course on the fundamentals of coaching using positive psychology would be available in 4 months. It was expensive, and we'd just lost our house; but on a whim, I decided to sign up to be notified when registration was open. To be honest, I didn't think I would actually spend the money to register when I got the notice -- because seriously, we'd just lost our house. But I dared myself to sign up for the notification anyway. Just because.
Then I promptly forgot about it.
Four months later, I received word that my book wouldn't be published, and honestly, it was a gut-punch. So much so, actually, that for a brief moment, I considered throwing in the towel on my business entirely, and returning to the practice of law full-time ... because, you know, we'd just lost our house. Perhaps, I thought, my losing the book deal was a sign that I needed to return to a steady paycheck. When I talked to my family about what I was thinking, Alex actually argued fervently against my doing so ("your job now is so much cooler!" she said, bless her), and even Marcus told me that I should reconsider ("we'll make it work!" he said in his usual calm way). So I promised I'd think about it some more.
And 24 hours later, I got an email announcing that registration for that course was now open.
I've coached before, but I hadn't on a consistent basis for a couple of years, for various reasons. But in that moment, I suddenly realized that it was totally possible to return to coaching full-time ... and, more importantly, I wanted to. I love hosting workshops, I love helping organizations embrace inclusion and value diversity, authenticity and courage as the birthplaces of creativity and innovation. And I love, love, love helping folks discover their gifts and values and how they're going to make light and change the world. Doing more one-on-one coaching sessions would be a natural extension of the work I've already been doing.
So I called Marcus and told him I was going to invest in the course ("Do it!" he exclaimed), and so here I am.
All this to say that come April, I'll be opening up my calendar to take coaching clients. If working with me one-on-one sounds interesting to you, be sure you've joined the make light community and signed up for the monthly newsletter (it's called "notes from chookooloonks," in case you're not sure if you're signed up), and you'll be the first to know when I officially launch.
I can't wait to work with you.
Soundtrack: Trip the light, featuring Alicia Lemke. Because the way Matt is dancing in this video is pretty much how I've been feeling since I started taking this course. Click here or the image below to watch.