WEEK 1 COLLABORATION: to work with others for a common purpose or good in the creation of something.
I definitely believe that nobody gets anywhere on their own. The myth of individualism has left me often afraid to ask for help, to admit I even need help. It has kept me struggling in silence. Collaboration is how we get to thriving, no doubt. And yet collaboration requires a level of trust, deep listening and dropping of the ego that makes it a rare gem.
On the outset I would say yes, collaboration is where it’s at. Working together with others is really the only way that anything impactful can happen. When we come together with others for a common goal we get to each contribute our own unique gifts to something. It’s how we bring dimension and depth. It’s how we learn what we don’t know, it’s how we grow. IF we are able to listen and put ego aside.
But then I also think of group work in school, where groups of uninterested young people are asked to work together on something that they may or may not actually care about. We see the perfectionists freaking out because the could-be-care-lessers aren’t (or they fear won’t) do their part. We see the rise of the martyr. “Fine, I’ll just do it all myself.” Collaboration without trust and accountability can lead to resentment, stalemate and deepening of our divides.
When I first wrote the definition out I accidentally left the extra o off of good and it read “to work with god in the creation of something” - ha. The creation of this page followed that idea. I want to collaborate with my higher self. With the infinite wisdom of the universe that I believe lives in me. I want to clear the channels so that I can catch the faint whispers of the next steps. This collaboration looks like spending time each morning in the still quietness. My inner voice isn’t loud, but she is persistent. Like, very persistent.
When I stopped drinking alcohol it was the voice. “You don’t need this, it’s holding you back. You want to feel good, you want to feel clear.” There is evidence of this in my journals from years before I actually made the commitment. The voice is quiet and patient. It’s not judgy or pushy or shaming. If your quiet still voice isn’t kind and gentle then that’s culture and conditioning, NOT your true self.
I want to collaborate with the natural world that I am part of, where I belong too.
If we try to jump out of bed in January ready to take on the world, take another moment to look around at nature, who’s doing that? Nobody. January is the middle of winter. It’s time to be slow and quiet and cozy and warm. It’s time to tend to the roots, the inside underground parts that nobody sees. Be still, plan and dream. Sleep more.
I don’t believe we are meant to do things alone. In fact I don't believe we are ever really alone.
Art and coaching have been bridges for me to open this collaboration with my higher self. To be free to see what comes up, and to learn to trust.
Collaboration without trust will never work. It’s the medium by which everyone gets to be free to see what they’ve got. These bodies of ours won’t let the soul loose unless it’s safe.
A collaboration can be a conversation. When I talk with some people I can sense my soul coming loose. I get animated and excited and I can feel the possibility coursing through my veins. These are the collaborations I’m looking for.
This is why I love being a coach. I get to put myself aside and be open, observant and listen to facilitate the client’s inner knowing. We can never predict what will come up because it is only in the moment that truths arise. I get to ask questions that open up the channels, and I get to help clients interpret the messages. It’s in this way that we prime the connection between the client and their inner knowing. It’s not hard, it’s there all the time, just waiting for the right collaborator.