mirror office.jpg

See things differently…

Part blog. Part learning center. Part resource repository. This page is intended to give you ideas, motivation, tools and practical tips for improving your life and leadership.

 “If you look to others for fulfillment, you will never be truly fulfilled.”

~ Lao Tzu

Alicia Daugherty Alicia Daugherty

Untethered

parasailing.jpg

Have you ever gone parasailing?

You’re gliding through the air, likely higher than you’ve ever been without looking through the window of a building or fuselage, being pulled along by a boat via a very sturdy rope.

And then you’re cut loose.

Actually, the boat just turns, creating slack in the rope. But the feeling is that of being untethered. Free floating with nothing to anchor you or pull you in the right direction. It is incredibly exhilarating and slightly terrifying. Your mind knows that you’re still connected to the boat; your body insists that with nothing to pull you, you will either crash into the water or simply fly away. Within seconds, the tension returns to the rope and you realize you’re still being pulled, just in a different direction. 

That moment of free float is what I’m feeling right now. Last Friday I retired from my corporate job to pursue my coaching practice full time. Since making the decision two months ago, I have been waiting for fear, doubt or panic to set i - there has been none. I know this is the right path for me. I know it in my gut. And after 30+ years of being pulled along by a sturdy rope connected to one or another large corporation, I am untethered. 

This moment is exhilarating, but there is no terror. The boat has turned, and I am the captain.

Read More
Alicia Daugherty Alicia Daugherty

Are You a Human Being or a Human Doing?

One of the great challenges of life is to find the balance between “being” and “doing”. 

As adults, particularly as adults in the United States, we’re conditioned that the only thing that matters is action. We define ourselves by our accomplishments. When we meet someone new, the first question is often “What do you do?” Our social media posts are filled with action: vacations, workouts, meals, parties. Most of us are paid based on the hours we work or the results we deliver.. Actions are important. Outcomes are important. Being a productive, contributing member of society, organization, family...those things are important.

But when our lives become all about doing, we can lose sight of what it means to be. When we fill our calendars with appointments, measure our worth by others’ standards and focus on financial outcomes as a proxy for our value, we can overlook things that are really important.

The Co-Active Coaching model is designed to help us find alignment between being and doing. For actions to have meaning, they need to be aligned with our values. For us to be effective leaders, parents, partners, we first have to understand and care for our own emotions. The most fulfilling and sustaining career is one that is in sync with our life purpose.

In some ways, “being” - simply existing - is a natural, effortless state. With no action, thought, feeling or awareness, we are always being. I’m talking about intentionally being. Asking questions like, “Who am I in this moment?” Or, “Who do I need to be in order to best serve my team?” Turning off the noise and focusing on who we really are - then deciding who we intend to be - can be both incredibly challenging and transformative.

I invite you to take some time today to sit quietly and ask yourself, “Who am I?” The answers may surprise you. 

Read More

 

“Becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself. It is precisely that simple and it is also that difficult.”

~Warren Bennis

Do you have something to share?

aed rust-02.jpg

Please drop me a note with your thoughts, ideas and inspirations!