This reminds me of the story of a fish who knows nothing of the experience of land. His turtle friend returns from the land, the fish asks all about the land but can't experience the land firsthand, for obvious reasons. The fish knows only the description of the land and decides dry land is nothing. Just because you've never experienced something, doesn't mean your perceptions will be correct. But although turtle knows what of the land, he also can't explain the experience of being on the land to the fish. The fish will just continue to believe land is nothing to his experience of the water.

You have lots of these stories playing in the background of your life.

You don’t realise they are already always there. Impacting your view on the world. Your perception of yourself and others around you.

When you see the story, you can give it a name and let it go as an old story. A story from your past that you’re letting go of right now in this present moment.

There’s no magic here. You’re choosing in every moment. You can choose to honour the old story or to let it go. In letting it go you’re not saying that something didn’t happen. You’re not saying that you’re going to forget what happened. You’re just saying the feelings attached to the what happened no longer need to rule your life.

So yesterday I made a conscious choice to let go of my story which I’m getting more clarity on “It doesn’t matter what I say, what I say doesn’t matter”. It’s just a decision and a choice. A declaration in the moment.

I am letting you go. You are now in the past. The past is in the past.

And what arose was extraordinary. I had more clarity. I had more creativity, more inspiration, more innovation and more humour, and lightheartedness.

I gave a coaching session and received a coaching session and at first I see I may not have been 100% present and all the way over there but I realised this is because I’m not honouring the voice in my head that says “it doesn’t matter what I say, what I say doesn’t matter”. I hit a bypass button and ignored it. Didn’t let it impact me,. Didn’t make up another story like “did I upset them, when I just kept talking, etc”

All human beings are leaders. Inside my old story the habit would be to people please and to stay small and not speak up, speak up with my truth.

And what worked for me was to open with that in my conversations with people. Be authentic, honest, truthful and raw but also be ready to realise I don’t know everything there is to know. Be humble and have humility and empathy.

I realised that I take things far too personally. So I’m letting that old story go too. I try to protect the people around me! Gosh what a burden on my shoulders. I try to protect all parties whether that’s leadership to team or team to leadership. Again that is part of the old story.

When I step out, and recognise all human beings are leaders. Then all humans have the capacity to let go of these old stories.

What it makes available is anything and everything. Unexpected things you couldn’t even imagine or visualise because why? Because you’ve never truly let them go before.

A nest, to lay your eggs, to raise your flock, keep them warm and protected?

What is property? And why are we so obsessed with owning something?

It boils down to belonging and place.

Let me explain.

Our ancestors came from a far away place. They felt belonging in their villages. Villages filled with family, friends who became brothers and sisters, because of the close proximity.

Then our ancestors dispersed for many reasons. Namely, to create a better life.

I have only just been reminded, after watching Aladdin (2019), one of my all time favourite Disney cartoons, they also fled their home countries for greater freedom. They foresaw the writing on the wall so to speak. Freedom from not being able to be unique. Freedom from not being able to be at the source of their own income. Freedom from a life of ongoing poverty. Freedom from NO opportunity.

The ones who came to Australia, also dispersed across Australia.

Ownership of property meant three things. One provide a home and stability for their large families, my dad was one of ten. Two influence the ability to be at the source of their own income, my dad worked from age 13 in the selling of products they made themselves from their home. Three belonging, knowing they now belonged to a community, my dad told me a tale of my grandfather saying hello to every single person who walked by him, I do this too unknowingly.

It wasn’t just the ownership of a home that was important or on the radar but also the ownership of a business and it’s premises. My grandfather pushed by my grandmother, saw the opportunity of a fish and chip shop and 3 bed home above. She not only pushed him to make sure they owned the shop and the home, when the time came to own the mixed business behind, she pushed for that too. So on two parallel streets our family was street front facing - one side fish and chips and the other a mixed business (aka a sandwich shop and convenience store). With the staircase between both shops leading to the family home. Between both shops was a tiny kitchen, a tiny dining room and sitting room. But leading to the fish and chip shop was a much bigger room, we used as a dining room for when we had big dinners. They would have called it the prep room when not converted for guests.

So I wonder where my obsession with real estate both residential and commercial comes from. My mum, my husband and myself all have our real estate sales license. We all at some point sold real estate but that’s not where our passion lies. Our passion lies in understanding what is truly important to a buyer and being able to navigate the current market to find a match. We get really obsessed with finding property that matches the buyers needs and wants. And we understand the process that a buyer goes through.

Here is the thing with property, you’ve got to be watching all the time. You’ve got to keep your finger on the pulse. What is really going on right now. There are many amazing properties coming on to the market now. Some are home accomodation based in areas that would have had high tourism traffic, some are hotels in regional locations, again impacted by the current situation, some are investment properties investors letting their assets go, with a perceived threat of cutting their losses while they’re ahead.

The thing with any investment is you have to take the long view. Just as my grandparents did they never intended on selling. My heart broke when the house and businesses sold but I wasn’t old enough nor influential enough to be able to say a thing. For if anyone wanted to keep it, they would need to work it. I didn’t even live in Sydney at that stage. I lived in Darwin/Brisbane.

That sale represented more than just a sale to me. It was to me a letting go of everything my grandparents and their children built. But I soon realised the memories and moments are still with us.

I continue to look for opportunities. I never tire of looking at what’s possible.

There was a hotel with a residence and train carriages. There was a cafe overlooking a tourist location. Imagine being able to produce an income in the middle of covid-19? These are obviously the businesses that we’re impacted.

But we have a bigger lens as we combine both our learning of online business mastery with the opportunity of a freehold bricks and mortar.

It still got us to thinking why are we so obsessed?

This time it’s not just for any home but a home that can accomodate our “village” (our big family).

This time it’s not just for any business but a freehold business where food is still a major income driver.

So why bricks and mortar? Because you can touch and feel it and why food? Because our ancestors used to say you can never go wrong with food, because people will always need to eat.

Well they were spot on.

Owning property and investment properties is opportunity in and of itself. My mum started her first home ownership journey with just $2.5k in 1985 when interest rates were sky high. I was 21 when I bought and borrowed for my first home.

Since then, together, we have learnt a lot about the pitfalls of property and conversely the opportunity of property. Together we have bought and sold many times. We have supported family and friends through this process including the borrowing process. Sometimes knowing what to expect helps you sleep better at night. So watch this space for how we will arrive a way to help others. The purpose is to give the buyer confidence they otherwise wouldn’t have for a process that can be very daunting.

​Owning property is not in and of itself the goal anymore, it used to be. Now it's about having a financial strategy that matches our inner purpose and external goals.  

Photo by Suzanne D. Williams on Unsplash

I first came across the terminology distinction when I participated in the landmark forum in 2005.

The landmark forum is landmark worldwide’s signature program and is just one of three programs in the series called the curriculum for life.

My mum and sister participated first. Then myself, my dad and my then boyfriend and now husband. My brother did the landmark forum for teens. My mother in law participated in 2015.

It’s an amazing opportunity that our whole family have participated because it’s such a process to get yourself in there in the first place.

Why is it a process?

Because as individuals we are influenced by our experiences and our upbringing, the beliefs we collect, the barriers or walls we create, the stories we create about ourselves, about our time, about our financial situation, about our jobs, about our families, hell, about anything. We have an opinion, a judgement, an assessment about everything!

How do I know this? because I’m describing myself.

I’ve never been brave enough to share so candidly with you but I do it with such a huge commitment and love in my heart for what’s possible for you.

The landmark forum is a way to remove all the stories you’ve created that don’t work for you. All the things that get in your way of being effective and productive.

And the tricky thing is these things go undetected, they are your blind spots. The way the landmark forum works is for you to uncover your blind spots yourself.

You’ll do this by hearing about distinctions. They are ways of looking at life. Ways that give you an access to see something different to the way you’ve been seeing life.

At work we have frameworks. They are a way of organising information. Distinctions are like definitions. A definition defines one word. Distinctions define ways of thinking. Frameworks give you an access to thinking differently too. Giving you the ability to sort through information in a logical way. The place where frameworks and distinctions can sit by side is in creating understanding for sorting information.

So I share this with you to give you an access. To understand that our minds can easily create a messy house. Frameworks help us tidy up our messy work words. Distinctions help us tidy up our messy ways of thinking.

What would like be like if you could just refer to a distinction to understand what our ways of thinking really mean, what we can do to unravel the things that don’t work for us, and instead create what’s possible now.

Just like flicking through a dictionary to find the meaning of a word, we are flicking though the landmark forum to find the meaning of our life. If you’re a graduate you’ll know the answer to this question already. What is the meaning of life?

Imagine getting the level of access to this question such that there is no more asking this question?

A blindspot is a thing that stops you in life and you can’t see it.


And it’s always and ever there because it’s something from your past, sitting in your future, not just your present, until you SEE it.


Something happens and you decide x y z.


And like a ninja it will show up, a situation begins to unfold, and it looks like an incident from your past...


When you’re reading this article, have a little look for what is your thing? - the thing that stops you, holds you back, and keeps you from being the best version of you.


Something happened with mum and I. I was young and getting in trouble for something and desperately wanting to say something. I see her lecturing loudly at me, with no breathe taken/no break in speech etc, I rolled my eyes and gave up. In that moment, I decided, "it doesn’t matter what I say, she’s not going to listen to me anyway".


How it has shown up in the last few weeks, is with a break down in my relationships, and right in my face yesterday, in my relationship with my little sister. I knew heart connection was missing for both of us. Feeling loved and having love be around and surround us, no matter who is near or far.


What I do in conversations is decide not to say anything because it doesn’t matter she’s not going to listen anyway or work so damn hard to make sure I get what I want to say in, that I am interrupting the other person, whenever there is a chance. Also, when I do have a say, I’m not satisfied because I say to myself that the person has to listen to me in a certain way, for me to feel like I was heard. Of course, if I’ve interrupted them there is no space for them to hear me. They are busy still reeling from “I was interrupted”. What a vicious cycle.


When I do get the chance to speak, the pattern is always there - "did they really listen to me or not?" and I decide something about myself ("I can’t communicate properly or there’s something wrong with me") and or about them ("there’s something wrong with them") and so of course this doesn’t work.


Yesterday, I got to see what happens to me. I become hostile (my sister said this word and I took it on), for me, it’s not being heard and who I’m being is defensive and will not let my guard down.


My guard protects me from feeling as though I don’t matter. Because inside I’m having this internal struggle within myself, convincing myself that “I do matter” and my communication comes from wanting to defend from this space.


The ultimate tragedy is that while in my head I am fighting to the death for "What I say matters" all the while, I am believing “no matter what I say, it never matters,” the result of that incident from my past.


Words have an impact on me because I let them. The flip side is the kinds of words that touch, move and inspire me, will touch, move and inspire me.


I know it’s a story to let go of. It’s hard, it’s engrained. It’s a pattern of behaviour that when I’m aware, I can see it everywhere. It impacts all relationships when I’m being this way.


My job is to now get in the practice of being aware. “I want to see it, when I’m experiencing it”.


I will practice seeing it quicker and quicker so the time gap between experiencing it and seeing it starts to get shorter.


That's easy to say but how on earth do you actually do this?


You become aware.


You look to see and listen to hear.


Be present. Choose being present.


Choose being the source and at the source of what is arising within you.


Freeze and slow down time, if you can freeze and slow down when it’s happening, you’ll be able to catch it.


Tell yourself, you’ll be looking. And then keep your promise, “I want to see it, when I’m experiencing it”.

Growing up I didn’t think I was different.

My eyes looked out into the world, I didn’t walk around with a mirror.

I realised I was different when people teased me but I also didn’t know what the word chingka even meant I was just upset I was being teased.

The minute the kids did squinty eyes I associated myself as being different.

“Oh so that’s what I look like”.

This is a year two memory.

Now, I know I’m different but not so different.

We are all the same. Same journey. Same emotions. Same feelings and thoughts. Same inner voice. Same planet and universe Etc

What with everything going on in the world I sit in two corners. One I have total empathy for each individuals journey in their lives to overcome the obstacle called racism. Any kind of obstacle where you feel you were left out and did not belong. So to me, that’s not limited to racism. That’s why I like the impairment phraseology of “nothing about me, without me”. It goes for everyone and everything.

Don’t make assumptions.

I read an article about a Masterchef contestant and the very uncomfortable situation of a radio host greeting her with one dialect of Chinese then another. She was on an English/Australian speaking television show and going on to an English/Australian speaking radio show.

It reminded me that assumptions can also go both ways.

When I worked in a mostly Chinese speaking community in a bank, I was apprehensive and insecure about my own inability to speak Chinese whether that was Mandarin or Cantonese. Often times, customers would come up to the counter and start speaking and I would have to embarrassingly admit I couldn’t speak Chinese and either see if I could help or if I needed to ask a colleague to help. One time a colleague was referring a customer back to me and I politely whispered “remember, I don’t speak Chinese”. Later, I found out that was an issue, however, my intentions came from my own apprehension and insecurity and certainly not intended to be racism.

That’s why I say don’t make assumptions. But also I’ve probably trained myself not to make assumptions because literally anything could be perceived or interpreted as being racist and my days would be long and unenjoyable.

I think when people have built trust and good relationships there is an exception to the rule. They could call you any kind of name under the sun because the permission has been provided within the relationship. You could freely and openly discuss topics of race without being politically correct. But with no relationship. there is zero permission.

Equally, with what is going on in the world I want people to consider calling out bad behaviour for what it is. What if the core issue is our lack of looking at domestic violence in general from the level of protecting all children from harm. What if the core issue is a lack of trust in a society where all individuals have the right to bear arms, for instance, in America. What if we were the child that was hit, with the potential for our past to be triggered, in literally any moment. Are we the children who don’t know how to manage our emotions or control our fight, flight or freeze mode that we are then the adults with no ability to resolve conflict through calm and peaceful communication?

I’m not blaming our parents collectively. I’m simply saying that we don’t have to keep on repeating the behaviours of our parents, hoping to get a different result.

I’m saying let’s look some more to see beyond. If our society is broken, it’s up to us from where we are to make a difference.

Are we going to create change and move forward or are we now just going to scratch the wound we had a bandaid on for so long?

With the bandaid off. Don’t touch it. Let it heal. Let time and nature heal it. It’s so hard not to touch it. But the only way for it to get better, is not to touch it.

What that looks like in reality and not an analogy, is for each individual person to look within and at themselves and work on themselves first. If everyone takes that on, the world will heal. The generational pain, the karmic curse of our ancestors, the past exactly as it was, can heal.

I have been quiet for the past few days contemplating the inner work, the inner voice and the inner game. It can be confronting to realise it’s in play right now.

For me, it showed up sneakily this week. I read a comment about something and I was a reaction to my interpretation of the comment and I spoke up about it to say please don’t repeat that communication and behaviour with me in the future. This action creates a gap and a disconnect between this important person and I.

Another way it showed up this week is through my interactions with others. I realised yesterday, I look for cues through body language and facial expressions. Through listening for open communication. Through receiving positive energy. That inner voice, boy, it creeps up on you. When the conversation is always about you, around you and surrounds you, you know it’s your ego at play.

Here is the thing with us humans. We are always going through something. We are always experiencing, feeling, absorbing, analysing, etc. it might be something about us, something that happened, whatever the case may be. If something is impacting upon us it comes through in our communication - both unintentionally and intentionally.

However, we pass cues on via our ways of being and our communication, another individual we are talking to, who is not in our heads, didn’t get to see the last few episodes of the show called your inner voice and so they are receiving your radio waves even though those waves may or may not be for them. But what happens when you miss the last few episodes of a tv show, for example, you missed out right? You feel like you have to catch up? You ask the people around you, what did I miss? You are genuinely stuck in your head with the mystery of, what is going on?

If we bring that analogy back to a one on one situation, you might also ask the question, “are you ok?”. If the other person does or doesn’t feel ok and the timing feels right for them and they have a trusting relationship with you, they may say no I’m not. More often than not though, people will always say, “yes I’m ok. I’m good. I’m all good.” This is also a sign. In their way of being, you’ll know for sure if they are or aren’t. But don’t push it.

In these kinds of situations, because of the disconnect I experienced this week, I automatically went to, is it me? Did I say or do something wrong? This is how twisted our inner voice can be. From one undistinguished event to another, wreaking havoc, where ever it is allowed to go (I say allowed cos it is a choice in every single moment, if you can catch it quick enough, as in be aware of it, then you can let it go).

So now you need to remember and realise that it’s not about you. It’s never about you. And if it was the person will let you know. Don’t be so paranoid, Trust yourself, the time and energy you have put into building the relationships you have built. Give people space to arrive at the destination they need to when they want to and need to. Be a stand and be the space of possibility that you are.

This week I began a 21 day abundance meditation. And I have been experiencing a level of freedom around so many areas of my life. Abundance is not solely about your financial situation although, that is where your mind will initially go.

Abundance can show up in every area of your life. Happiness in abundance. Kindness in abundance. Love in abundance. Joy in abundance.

One of the outcomes for me, has been an abundance of feeling in my head where I previously lost feeling.

In late 2018 I took to hospital with a numb head. I had been suffering for three to four weeks with what I thought was a stiff neck. Turns out the surgeon drained an abscess and filled a cup. He warned me that I would likely have nerve damage. If the nerves would return they would do so in six months. It’s now been almost 18 months. And I still suffer from an itchy head which I’m sure is probably not itchy but the side effect of nerve damage.

The sensation in my head this morning is like a bruise. A pulsating bruise. To the point that the sensation actually woke me from my sleep. When I touch the area it is the centre of where the abscess was removed from my head. The cut from the surgeon is in my neck. But it was drained from the top part of my skull. I know this because that’s where the numbness began for me and prompted me to head to hospital.

So I had to google does meditation repair nerves and what does nerve repair or recovery feel like?

How do I know the nerve is recovering?

"As your nerve recovers, the area the nerve supplies may feel quite unpleasant and tingly. This may be accompanied by an electric shock sensation at the level of the growing nerve fibres; the location of this sensation should move as the nerve heals and grows. Over time, these feelings subside and the area should begin to feel more normal."

Wow just wow. I take this as a sign of healing for my head. Although I will never really know the full sensation I know that I experienced transcendental meditations because of my ability to connect within and since my surgery and trauma, I feel I have been able to better connect within.

Are you someone who lacks confidence?

Is afraid to reach out and connect in case you say the wrong thing that you end up saying nothing at all?

Because of that, do you avoid looking at people because you don’t want them to see you?

You don’t want to be put on the spot and not know what to say in the moment nor be the first one to say hi?

I’m going to hazard a guess that you’re introverted and your parents used to do the talking for you? And ps, you let them?

Did you know whether introverted or extroverted, us humans are a little of both on a scale. Although I naturally show up extroverted, I’m also on the scale for introverted too.

It just means we’re on a scale and we’re not fixed. Perhaps we are one way depending on the dynamic of people around us.

Michael Grinder has another great perspective of cats and dogs to describe visually for us the way we are with people and our communication.

Cats are independent leave me alone, I’ll come near you when I’m ready and Dogs are people pleasers look at me, pat me, play with me, let’s go for a walk etc.

But in different dynamics whether it’s home or work we might switch up the roles we play. If you’re dog like behaviour at work you might be cat like behaviour at home.

And this is where I want you to look from in relation to being introverted and extroverted and if you’ve been told for your whole life that you’re quiet, shy etc this is also a pattern of programming that has occurred over time that you’ve just started to believe it.

Have a look at the number of times you’ve been able to open up and authentically be you with others in your life. What made the difference and who are these people for you?

Usually building one on one relationships is the way to go. You can only ever build one to one relationships, right?

Here is where I’m going to share how you can be related to literally anyone in your life. You ready?

Relatedness has everything to do with understanding yourself first. Understanding who you are and what is important to you. Then what it takes is for you to be open and vulnerable.

When you are this way to the people in your life, it will open up a space for them to be open and vulnerable with you.

This takes trust.

I know you haven’t trusted other people for some time now. But what if I told you it’s time to trust yourself?

I do trust myself.

If you do and I mean genuinely do then there will be nothing in your way, no space between you and another person. No conversation in your head that will get in your way of connecting with the other person.

If there is a conversation about it then you’re not quite there yet.

To get yourself out of the way is to say the thoughts and feelings you have about this person and the way the conversation will go is untrue and just your thoughts and feelings.

Have you ever had an experience where you walked yourself through all the likely scenarios usually worse case and even worse again was the picture you painted in your head for what could happen and then you went in to the conversation and nothing at all like you had imagined actually transpired???!!!

Yes, cos it’s your thoughts and feelings based on the past making up these stories in your head about what could happen.

When you can let go of the stories of your past, you will literally come in to the conversation with nothing. Nothing between you and the other person. You can start the conversation fresh each time. You can connect and build your relationship. Be curious ask questions and in being curious ask questions you want to know the answers for, as there is no point asking them, if all you’ll do is fake listen. That there will not build the relationship. Be present and be interested in the person because you want to build the relationship.

Try it at home first and then at work and gradually you’ll come to find that as human beings we have a lot in common. As you get to the know the people in your life, you will come to hear something you have never heard before.

You will fall in love with them brand newly, like never before and when you do, you will discover that you can repeat this with another person, and another person and another person.

There really is no secret to this, it is just about acknowledging the individual for what they want to be acknowledged for and create the acknowledgement in your listening and in your speaking.

The more you create love in your life, the more it will arise. This is how you let love in. Let me know how you go. 

Who knew that learning how to ride a bike has nothing to do with the bike and everything to do with your body movement.

No matter how old you are, you can learn anything you want to especially when it comes to body movement and play.

Let’s break it down and understand the movement associated with your body and what you’re learning to do when it comes to learning how to ride a bike.

We borrowed my youngest bike to teach our other cousin to ride. She’s 12. Imagine the clown on the small bike and that’s the image of us trying to teach her on a 7 year old’s bike.

At first, all we wanted her to do is learn how to balance. We found an incline and first I showed her what to do. The bike will go down all you have to do is lift both legs and balance the bike. If you feel unsure you can land both your feet to the ground to stop.

She practiced balancing until she got the hang of it. Each time rolling down an incline.

Once she rolled down we introduced pedals showing by hand what the body movement would look like.

With my left and right arm and hands emulating what the left and right leg and foot body movement would be doing.

She did it albeit she was afraid when she went down a bigger incline of a hill. I acknowledged her fear and her triumph. Those moments are gold when you see a child and acknowledge what is going on for them but tell them it’s all part of the learning journey.

Next was climbing and getting down from a tree. We went to New Farm Park which is a very busy park because it celebrates the natural landscape. They built the playground around the existing tree structures and so of course that is it’s selling point.

The kids will say can we go there to climb trees not specifically for the playground. Although secretly I’m sure it’s for both.

I watched as each child climbed across the tree, their faces became concerned as they got to the end. No parents in sight. I just checked in hey you ok up there. If you need help getting down I’ll help you.

Do you want to come down here or here just let me know. If you come down here you climb down like a monkey with your hands and feet holding the pole. If you come down here you’ll swing your body so your tummy faces the tree and your back faces me and just kind of slide down with your arms and jump off.

I tried different instructions with each child kind of experimenting how best to say it. Each strangers child listened and I only needed to tell them once and they knew what and how to do it.

I remembered then that’s what I did with my kids when growing up. I never was the rescuer unless I absolutely had to be. I said playgrounds are for learning. You got to learn how to get up and how to get down. If I was to help them it would be through describing or words but not doing the doing for them.

Or I would show them. This is how I would get up. This I what you do with your arms and legs. Think about your hand going here etc. Vice versa for how I would get down.

Think back to when your baby was really a baby. Did you ever consider that the way babies learn is through mimicking you?

Yes, me neither! But a coach of mine got me thinking about it. Everything is a copycat of you. Those babies were curious and they watched you doing literally everything.

I remember when my babies were first born we would just stare at each other in bed. You didn’t need words, the moment was literally I love you both ways.

I was always very facially expressive with my babies. I also tried to introduce hand signals and body language to help them understand me - of course as they got older their attention span for me became shorter and shorter.

It’s because I became the mother I thought I had to become to whip them (metaphorically) into shape.

Fast forward to completing the first week back at school and through the week I found myself creating games and fun around getting ready on time.

To get my little one who is seven up. I commentated myself getting ready - describing in a funny way literally everything I was doing. She became curious and couldn’t help herself. She got up and came in thinking what is this woman doing?

When I saw her I said quick go get your uniform and I can do the same for you. Get ready quickly with commentating. So she returned and we did the same. The getting on of the tights or leggings was the most fun and she couldn’t help but giggle and same with me.

If you’re anything like me some days are just a debrief of the day before. Just like the replay of a goal shot, a constant replay of the events of the day before.

Why? Because something happened that was pivotal. Something happened that touched, moved, inspired you. Something happened that touched, moved, inspired others. You got acknowledgement for something you actually want to be acknowledged for.

What I’m describing is a moment where I shared something that was important to me. I shared the truth of what makes me tick with some of the people I work with. Essentially strangers at work because some I’d never actually worked with before.

I was vulnerable, open and connected. I was bringing my whole and true self, all of me, to the coaching program I’m a part of and my workplace.

It’s almost as if I have stepped in to a new realm. It has shaped my conversations with others already. I am seeing people differently. I am seeing ways I can communicate differently.

I knew that in that moment of sharing who I am, what my life is for and what I’m about would make a difference. I just didn’t know to what extent. It’s taken me forty years to voice out loud, the pure voice from within.

The facilitator had a chat with me yesterday and acknowledged me and I allowed myself to receive her acknowledgment. The words that landed on me is you don’t know how much that helped others and impacted them and what they individually are going through, you touched them.

That’s all I have ever wanted in my life is to make one difference to one person.

This is just the beginning for me. I see every single interaction with another human being is an opportunity to really get to know them, find out what inspires them, what makes them tick, who they really are, and what they’re really about. That’s why curiosity and empathy go hand in hand.

You don’t know what you don’t know. Ask questions, be curious. On the other side of discovery is connection and growth waiting for you both. You the mother, the father, them the kids. Or you the coach or mentor them the coachee or mentee.

If I can do it once, I can do it again. I can remember to be more of me in every situation and circumstance. I can remember to ask open questions of others that will likely yield the kinds of conversations that will bring them to be more of their true self to the surface.

I know I can recreate this moment for myself if I need to remind myself that what I do or say has a positive impact on others.