Reflections

Walking, Talking, Being

Many talk, some talk and walk, still others just let their walking do the talking. The following two lines from Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman brings this home to me.

WILLY [as CHARLEY takes out his wallet]: The Supreme Court! And he didn’t even mention it!

CHARLEY [counting out money on the desk]: He don’t have to – he’s gonna do it.

It’s quite likely we all know people going about their lives, fulfilling their dreams, maybe involved in all manner of activities, who never seem to speak about what they are doing. Their being speaks loudly for them.

A few years ago I jumped through hoops following the crowd, attempting to define a niche, create an elevator speech and decide upon a title for my business cards. Executive Coach, Business Coach, Life Coach, Co-Active Coach, were considered. More recently Chartered Marketer, Coach, Trainer, Adjunct Professor, Author have elbowed each other for space on the headed paper.

Neat descriptions work well on product labels. Attempting to squeeze myself into a box might be conventional wisdom, but I am comfortable being myself to not continue with that game. I trust my intuition. Co-active coaching addresses the client’s whole life and this holistic approach fits with how I am. Marketing, professional and personal development, theatre, business, sport, spiritual journeying, music; they all play a part in my life, regardless of whether I speak about them or not.

It’s a bit like those questionnaires we can come across in public offices and hospitals requesting us to indicate which race we belong to. I’m a human being full stop, period.

We are as we are right now. We do what we do, at this moment in time. We can plant seeds for our future and cultivate the terrain day by day. Change, if that’s what we want, comes about by our actions. Listening to others, collecting ideas but then deciding on the basis of our own goals, objectives and values is perhaps a message woven into Death of a Salesman. After all, who knows us better than ourselves?

Ciao for now.

Brian.
www.bgdtcoaching.com