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A time when I remember creating highly effective work -- I'm adding a
little to the thinking about this -- I want to think about it from the
perspective of when I was doing highly effective work energizing work that
made my soul feel full. The reason I'm adding on that little part is that
I love to work and tend to feel energized and be effective even when I am
doing any kind of project. When I first started to think about this
question, a lot of the things that came up felt like they were missing
something in the satisfaction realm. And then I realized that a lot of the
times that I did work like this, it was really about pleasing others -
which feels good too sometimes, but I tend to go overboard on it. Sometimes my feeling about something becomes highly correlated with what
others feel about it and sometimes my motivation tends to come from the
idea of pleasing other people. So I wanted to look at when I was doing
something just for me that had all those other good parts too, because
that is what I want to get back to.

So - thinking about it, the last time I really felt like I was doing
something that was good for me and really gave me energy was when I was in
college. Once I started working for other people I seemed to lose some
type of freedom of expression as well as inner motivation toward my work.

At that time I was creating and learning. I was willing to experiment and
tended to be less strict with my self/more fluid in my thoughts and work. At that time, I was working with physical media (like
printmaking/painting/drawing), computers and the written word. I was very
free and I trusted in my own ideas.

A superpower that I used was the ability to come up with ideas. Ideas are
the foundation of everything I do back then and now. I trusted myself
more back then so the ideas really came through in my work. The last few
years have been a huge test to me because the environment I was in really
tested my weakest points. I have notice that I don't trust in my ideas
anymore. My superpower seems to have disappeared :( It's so strange to me
because I think I knew it was happening. It was gradual, but I noticed
that I became quieter and quieter in meetings at work and now I don't
really even like to talk to others about what I think.

I see a lot of superpowers in the person that I was back then, but today,
I feel like I can't recognize any in myself. It's like I have pulled
myself in so many directions, trying to please so many people that I have
just lost all the good stuff.

Luckily I have made some major changes recently that should result in
positive changes. Just writing that, I realized that one of my strengths
is resilience. Anyway - back to the change. I just made some major
changes and I think they are slowly starting to show the benefits of doing
so. But I also feel like I did a lot of damage to my superpowers and it
isn't going to be a quick recovery. I'm trying to be okay with that now.

So - what superpowers I know I have had before (and hope to have again):
Fierce Loyalty
Compassion
Creativity
Writing
Photography
Programming
Design
Exploratory nature
Strength
Strong Ideas
Ability to Dream big

Part Two:

One common thought that runs through my head is that people are going to
hurt me.

My story now:
Ever since I was young I have allowed other people to hurt me. I don't
know how to protect myself, I always put other people before myself, I
don't make good decisions when it comes to my own well being. I tend to
trust others to easily and often that is not a good thing. Once I
recognize that I have made a bad decision I freeze and don't make changes
when I should.

This has resulted in a very hard relationship and a near abusive work
environment. I will never step up to the plate and put myself first,
build the life that I want to build, or follow my own heart. I will
always be stuck in situations where other people have more power over my
life then I do.

Alternate story:
For years I have been taken advantage of by people I have trusted. I am
now at the point where I am ready to speak my true goals to the world,
change my motivation from being external to being internal and thrive on
all the strengths I have that I have not admitted to having or have
ignored in the past. I can still be open to people without letting them
walk all over me. I will now be true to myself...what that means to me is
that I will not play weak for anyone. I am a strong, beautiful,
exceptional person and I have an amazing amount of gifts that the world
deserves to see.

I am so glad that I have had to struggle in my life. Because of my
struggles I have learned many lessons, I have witnessed my own strength
and I have seen that I can survive anything. I have struggled enough, I
can now be honestly thankful and live authentically. It is time to accept
and live the gifts that I have been given from my struggles.

My medicine shirt:
Collar Free since 2010

Why:
I have just begun reading "Women who run with Wolves" by Clarissa Pinkola
Estes (which is so far a truly amazing read and I highly recommend) -- and
I happened upon her facebook page -- there was a beautiful post about
letting go of your past. Part of her post emphasizes what I am
experiencing right now and where I am on my journey:

"Even though feeling at first like an old dog who suddenly has not more
collar, and doesnt quite know what to do, shakes it's body and still can,
for a time, feel that ghost collar. Nevertheless, a dog once chained and
suddenly broken from its collar will very soon be seen trotting down the
road, not remaining in the pinning place."

Thanks for listening
Kate

What a spectacular homework assignment:

Super Powers

What was I doing?

Designing and facilitating workshops

How was I being?

Fully present, thoughtful, compassionate, warm,  fun, dynamic, engaging, a
bit edgy, a bit quirky

My Super Powers:

Making people feel relaxed and safe, humour, laughter, being light, being
fully present, active listening, connecting, deeply caring, hearing what
is really being said and what is not being said and connecting very
distant dots

My Story - being rewritten and Super Power T-shirt - currently being
designed ;)

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#end

 Part 1
Think of times when you have done highly effective and energizing work.
1. What were you doing?  Researching, writing, designing, analyzing, drawing.
2. How were you being?  Analytical and creative.
3. What “super power” or “medicine” did you use? Both-brainedness
4. Describe these strengths and superpowers in as much detail as you can
I combine the creative and the analytical, the right and left brain. So I can dig into details and do the careful analysis, but I can also step back, grasp the big picture, and think wildly outside the box. I am good at learning and thinking and writing about things that matter. Being able to see the big picture keeps me from getting distracted by irrelevant detail during problem solving.

Part 2
1. Current negative story: I don’t work long or hard enough to ever do something different from what I’m doing now. I’m lazy & easily distracted from the work in front of me, and if I do work hard on an accomplishment, I then get bored with that area of work and want to do something different. I’m a quitter.
2. Alternate story: I have a rare combination of skills that is generally unappreciated (because unexpected) in traditional, hierarchical work environments. So I quickly get bored and depressed working in those environments. Having realized this, I am now at the point where I am ready to walk away from that and define my own value and tasks that will keep me engaged and be perceived as high value by my clients, because I can do things that they cannot do for themselves.

Part 3

Mark

Part One:

Think of times when you have done highly effective and energizing work. Notice:

1.      What were you doing? (building/designing/speaking/evaluating/etc)

Participating in a seminar about some new reporting tools. I picked it up very quickly, because I knew many of the basic concepts, even though they were in different tools and contexts.

Giving a software demonstration through a webinar to many customers from different organizations and realizing that I did know what I was talking about and could answer their questions.

Preparing for presentations and speeches. Organizing my thoughts and materials.

Thinking about ways to make my Toastmasters club run better. How can we use the suggested rules to our benefit?

2.      How were you being? (intuitive/organized/creative/funny/etc)

Learning, analyzing and synthesizing, organizing, presenting

3.      What “super power” or “medicine” did you use?

Puzzle-solving

4.      Describe these strengths and superpowers in as much detail as you can

I have been thinking about what my passion is and what I do best for the last few weeks, as I work on breaking out of my current rut. I started thinking about “what” I could do, such as being a writer or a consultant or a coach or something else. These seem to be titles. When I finally got down to the heart of it, I realized that my passion and what I do best is simply to:

-          Figure something out (understand how it works)

-          Learn the rules, tips, and tricks

-          Organize it all and put it together so it’s understandable

-          Teach it to others

Part Two:

Identify one common thought or story that runs through your head and makes you feel crappy, in addition to keeping you stuck and distant from your vision of success.

1. Write your version of the story how it currently plays in your head.

I flit too much from one idea or project to another. I’ll learn everything I can about a topic, or even a person, and then move on to something else. That’s a waste of time and knowledge. I’m always leaving things unfinished by not staying up with them.

2. Write an alternate version of the story, casting yourself instead in the role of a hero, with courage and a positive outcome.

I saw this in a column in this month’s Inc. magazine, and it hit me over the head. The writer said that one of his greatest strengths was this same weakness I had been worrying about. He said:

“I tend to dive into things. I go through waves. I’ll get really into a book or really into motorcycles or really into working on this one project. And then I move onto the next thing. I think that’s one of my greatest strengths. I’m the type of guy who’s going to come up with an idea, really hammer it home, and then move on to the next idea.”

I loved it. What a great way of seeing it differently.

Part Three Bonus:

Create and post a picture of your superhero shirt.

I didn’t get a chance to do a graphic, but I think my shirt would have a bunch of jigsaw puzzle pieces all jumbled up on the front side, and all put together into a logo or cute saying on the back side.

Robyn in Phoenix

1. What were you doing? (building/designing/speaking/evaluating/etc)

2. How were you being? (intuitive/organized/creative/funny/etc)

3. What “super power” or “medicine” did you use?

4. Describe these strengths and superpowers in as much detail as you can

Facilitating my Platinum Presence Program.

I create a very powerful, safe space for people to really dig in and “know thyself”.  I am a “bit of an expert” J, I am funny, creative, teaching, out-of-the-box, very provocative and challenging people to higher versions of themselves – I get people to “flip” their habitual thinking about themselves and experience new ways of seeing the world, others and themselves.  I use my Wise Woman Muse super powers to tease out each person’s unique essence and presence. LOVE hearing people’s stories, and watch them become muses for each other as I guide them through carefully chosen, scaffolded exercises to put all the pieces together into incredible, rich pieces of individual authentic presence - “right story” at the “right time” in the “right place”.

My old money story:  I will never earn large sums of my own.  I appear to have an earning set point and every time I either approach exceeding it or actually do exceed it, something happens and the source dries up and I am back to where I was before (or even less).  I have worked since I was 12 years old and it has always been the same.

My new money story: Money flows easily into my hands of my own accord.  I am confident of my own ability to generate more than enough money which allows me freedom and independence.

Still designing the T-Shirt!!  First thought for logo – oh, oh – And I get paid to do this??!!

Cheryl Dolan │ Executive Coach • Speech Pathologist • Speaker • Facilitator