What could be used to define a Coaches’ creed?
“I say unto you, there is no evil and there are no evil forces in the world. There are only people of awareness, and there are people who are fast asleep – and sleep has no force. The whole energy is in the hands of the awakened people. And one awakened person can awaken the whole world. One lighted candle can make millions of candles lighted without losing its light”. – Osho
Many of us know what to do, but to make real changes in our lives, we have to turn knowing into doing. The biggest liability with decisions is that they can become habitual; they can become a repetitive pattern that often fails to get us the goal that we initially set out for. If you can’t do what you love, you must learn to love what you do. A successful life, is a life created by deliberate, conscious intention. It is a life based on values. Our values dictate every aspect of our lives. How we dress, how we think, what we do, who we associate with.
The problem with most people is that they have not consciously chosen their values nor have they committed to living them. Values are adopted by default, by our parents, by our education and by those we idolize. This pattern of unconscious inheritance perpetuates a lifestyle and a belief system generation after generation; unless we stop and alter it deliberately to create the life we have always dreamed of. In order to live a successful life, full of joy, health, love and abundance – the value system must be examined, and re-organized so that it reflects the true essence of the person we desire to become.
No value system is any better than any other. What is important is to uncover your own values so that they represent the choices you have made about your life. Dan Millman, the author of ‘Way of the Peaceful Warrior’, shared a story about a man that was searching for something under a streetlight across the road from his house. A friend asked what he was looking for, and the man said, “the keys to my door.” His friend asked,” Where did you drop them?” The man said,” I think somewhere near my door.” “Then why are you searching here, across the street?” – The friend asked. And the man answered, “ Well, can’t you see the light is much better here.”
Some people are searching for acceptance and success out there under the streetlight, looking at what other people think of their image. These people are trying to look good on the outside while feeling empty and unfulfilled on the inside. Dan Millman says, “ We are all in the ring sparring with dark forces such as fear, apathy, insecurity and self doubt.”
These are demons combated by angels of courage, commitment, and confidence. The battleground is inside. Our world is simply a reflection of how the battle is going. In the closing of ‘Peaceful Warrior’ Millman writes, “When you’re comfortable the light will disturb you, and when you’re disturbed the light will comfort you.” Knowing what to do is not usually the problem.
The elusive goal is translating intention into Action and resolution into Results. The gap between knowing and doing remains a weakness in our lives. We wait for permission from our insides before we act. We want to feel motivated; we wait until fear, self-doubt, and insecurity dissolve. Nothing changes until we find the will to follow through. Our inner fears won’t go away until we’ve faced them until we do what feels right and necessary in spite of the fears or insecurities that lurk within. When we learn to love and accept ourselves, heroic efforts will be generated and we truly then become masters of our own destiny.