I Traveled Back in Time This Weekend

I have had numerous moments in my life when I have been provided the opportunity to recognize a younger version of myself in another person's actions or behaviors. Sometimes I recognize things that I like about my younger self in other people and sometimes it can make me cringe a bit. Either way, it is always an opportunity for tremendous personal growth through focused self-examination. Do you ever feel like you've just met a younger version of yourself? This past weekend I had a chance to travel back in time and meet a couple of different parts of my younger self in my routine journey through life. After a day or two to reflect, I can't help but think that it's a story worth sharing. 

On Saturday I had coffee with a friend of a friend who is interested in starting out on the path of coaching and public speaking. He reached out to me knowing that I have spent the past ten years walking on those paths myself and wanted to ask me about my experience with Toastmasters in specific. As it turned out, we talked very little about Toastmasters. Instead we talked about many of the teachers we like to follow who we have in common, the power of our thoughts and how each of us create a ripple effect in the Universe by the energy we give off. I was impressed with the wisdom in the questions he asked and apparently he was equally impressed with my answers because when our 90 minutes together had passed, we talked about the idea of setting up an ongoing mentorship arrangement. 

There were numerous reasons why our time together was valuable to me. I think the most valuable thing was that it gave me an opportunity to recognize just how much ground I've covered in the last ten years as a coach, a content creator and a teacher. When this friend of a friend came to my office he was SO excited to see what it could look like for him some day when he might have his own office. When we talked about starting a blog or working on a book he was inspired by the idea of starting with baby steps instead of being overwhelmed by the whole process. He asked me if I was nervous when I wrote and gave my first Toastmasters speech. It reminded me that I still get a little nervous every single time I present a speech, story or program. That being said, I've literally done it thousands of times now and this thing that used to be such a huge deal to me is now something I do almost ever single day. 

Perhaps the favorite question he asked me was, "How do you stay humble while still being confident?" I took note of the depth of his question and after a brief pause responded by explaining to him that I thought confidence and humility are two character traits that learn how to merge together more gracefully as we get further down the path of life. In other words, younger versions of ourselves find it easier to be either humble or confident at a single moment in time, but may struggle with being both at the same time on an ongoing basis.

The very next day on Sunday I was at the health club lightly hitting the heavy bag after a wonderful cardio workout and lifting session. I often do low impact punching, kicking and martial arts forms to wind down my workouts. As I was hitting the bag a young man came up and tapped me on the shoulder. At first I thought he was going to ask me how much longer I was going to be so he could get a turn, but instead he started to instruct me on how I should turn my hips more powerfully in order to strike the bag harder. He then proceeded to aggressively hit the bag repeatedly before stepping away and saying, "Do you see how much more powerful it is when you put your whole body into the punch?" 

His technique was indeed powerful and clean. He also had a pleasant demeanor and a polite body language overall. My mind quickly reviewed and sorted out the many different ways I might respond to his unsolicited feedback. I held the silence for a few seconds longer than normal as I looked into his eyes, contemplated my options and then simply said, "Thank you for taking the time to share your observations. It's kind of you to want to help me." 

I left it at that with the hopes that he would feel seen and heard, but would at the same time disengage from our interaction so I could finish up my cool down. In his youthful exuberance he instead continued by telling me that he had been training in MMA for "a while now" and that he had learned a lot about how to maximize his power so he could "hit harder" with less effort. Once again I paused and looked into his eyes. This time before speaking further I asked him his name. I then introduced myself, called him by his own name and said, "At this stage in life if I'm not looking to hit anything in life harder. In fact I've spent the majority of my effort over the last few years trying to learn to hit life softer." 

I could tell by his inquisitive look that what I just said caused him to consider a perspective that he had not previously entertained. I decided to continue by telling him that when I was a young martial artist, I too wanted to maximize the power of my physical body, but that thirty years later as I am approaching sixty that the practice has become more of an internal art. He looked at me and said, "You practice martial arts?" 

I told him a little bit about the path I have traveled over the years after which he said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude I was only trying to help." I replied by saying, "And you did help. You came to me with good intention and shared an observation about something you are passionate about. I in turn am hoping that I was able to help you think about how you might approach a similar situation in the future." We shook hands. As a show of mutual respect we bowed to each other and then went about our days. 

As I returned to my cool down and gently hit the heavy bag, I realized that when I was a younger martial artist and yogi that I too person had a strong desire share my knowledge and in doing so at times did it in a demonstrative way. Knowledge can be collected quickly with intense study and hard effort. Wisdom on the other hand takes time to take root and does so best when confidence and humility find the confluence on the path of life. I'm grateful for the lessons I learned this past weekend and for all the other lessons I have yet to learn from the many teachers I will meet on the path ahead. 

Thanks for talking the time to read this week's reflection. Tomorrow is March 1st and that means it's time for my next big step on the path of life! Beginning in March my podcast partner Deb Frischmon and I will be starting a three month trial of the It's About Life Membership Circle. 

I believe that we are creating something extraordinary here and much like that first ever Toastmasters speech, I'm excited and nervous all at the same time. I would be exceedingly grateful if you would consider supporting this new adventure by signing on as a founding member. You can either try it out for one month for $44 or you can dive in for the next three months and we'll give you one month free - that's just $88 for all three months! 

Each week on Monday you will receive a pre-recorded message that you can enjoy at your convenience. The weekly messages will include inspiring content, mindfulness practices, reflections, journal prompts and so much more. It's a great way to tap in and stay connected to the many teachings we share in our bi-monthly podcast, but with a higher degree of access and frequency. You will also have access to a monthly group community call where Deb and I will share our most important inspirational teachings and where you can meet others who value growth and evolution. 

I would also like to offer you a special personal thank you to you since you are my inner circle mailing list. If you sign up for the three month trial at $88, I will gift you a 30 minute private consult that you can use for:

• A brief ancestral oracle reading
• To record a personalized guided mediation that you can save and use again and again
• To get mentorship on any topic we cover during our three months together
• A somatic healing intervention practice session

The choice is yours and the possibilities are infinite. Private sessions with me start at $111 so this gift essentially makes your entire trial membership free. I believe so strongly in what we are building here that I want to nudge as many people as possible to come along for the ride. If you want more details or are ready to sign up now you can click on the link here or the blue button below.

Peace and blessings for the week ahead, 

Jim