Today, my Coach (Allison Crow) took me through a powerful exercise that I wanted to share. She called it “Your Trigger is Your Teacher.”
I reported to her on our coaching call today that I was triggered/irritated/funked-out by some recent marketing copy that I’d read from another Coach. This is a Coach that I’ve never met in person but whom others in the industry respect VERY MUCH. And his words TRIGGERED ME. He suggested in his copy that one could become part of the 4% of elite coaches in the world—coaches who coach movie stars, millionaires, media moguls, and the like—by joining up with him, dreaming BIGGER, and following his program. It made me feel incredibly small. It made me feel less-than as a Coach. This BUGGED ME to read these words of his. It TRIGGERED something in me, and it irritated the hell out of me. I had to put my phone/Facebook away after reading his copy and go back to bed for a bit. It put me in a temporary FUNK.
So, Allison asked me to acknowledge/formally recognize and then personify my TRIGGER, to name him/her/it. And then she asked me to have a conversation with that TRIGGER. Sounds crazy, I know, but I got some GREAT learning from it. Perhaps you’ll get some learning from my experience/conversation with my TRIGGER (below). And I encourage you to take yourself through this same exercise and see what comes up. We are wiser than we know when we just take time to listen to our soul.
My TRIGGER’S name:
The Rich and Famous Eva Lundgren
Here’s how the convo went (with prompts from Allison at times):
Eva: Chariti, everyone else pays attention to me, dahling. I’m so glad you finally are.
Me: Thank you for calling me to greater awareness. What is it that you would like me to pay attention to?
Eva: The exterior is just that.
Me: Um….okay. And what else?
Eva: The exterior of me, dahling, doesn’t matter for you. Comparison crops its head when you’re not delving deeply enough into that which turns YOU on. You judge most when you’re least satisfied.
Me: What can I do to soothe you, to make you softer in my life, to make you NOT trigger me so much?
Eva: Allow what YOU believe to be true and right to be up on YOUR OWN marquee. Your personal and professional marquee. Not mine. I trigger you because I thought I was protecting you from the madness of fame and fortune. That’s not your world. You are not a competitor in that way. I put up a coat of armor and surround you with a moat to remind you that you are meant to be ALL YOU, seemingly isolated and out on your own, and genuinely strong, a beacon and a safe haven for many souls of this world. Forget the “Hollywood” type allure.
Me: I’d like to thank you. And I also want you to soften more, to become more of a help than a trigger in my life. I may go outside the castle but it doesn’t mean I’ll get ambushed. I don’t want your protection anymore in this way (but, again, thank you). What NEW job would you like to have in my life, TRIGGER EVA?
Eva: I want to be your personal stylist (note: this made me laugh out loud!). So you’re looking good and true and authentic and ARE READY for the ride beyond the castle walls.
Me: Thank you. And what last words/what else do you want me to know?
Eva: When you encounter people in the countryside, you impact lives by stopping and being with them. The marquee–your name in lights—it is easily unplugged and the lights eventually go out, and it all fades away. But touching the hearts of others NEVER dies. Be outrageous and bold in your own way.
Me: Thank you. Thank you so very much. I feel better knowing more about you and what you want from me. And I so appreciate your encouragement and belief in me.
