Following the Energy

I just published my first interview with a musician. Big deal, right? Well, actually it is. When you’re in the middle of your own life—going about doing the things you do—it’s easy to lose sight of the big picture. I nearly failed to notice that this interview actually fulfilled a dream for me!

A few years back, I had a plan in place to interview some of my favorite musicians and share their stories with the world. And as I looked at my blog this morning, I just realized that this “dream” has now become a reality. That is very humbling! My coach encouraged me to share the story of how it unfolded, as it’s a great example of how dreams often take shape…not necessarily looking like we originally planned!

The background

Four years ago I met legendary musician, Marty Balin (of Jefferson Airplane fame), backstage at a concert. Bill and I got to share some fun personal time with him before the show (go here for the details). I’ve always been drawn to classic rock music and the way it shaped our generation in the late 1960’s, so the conversation with Marty was a thrill.

After going home that evening, Read more »

This past weekend we had some dear friends over for dinner; a couple that we are very close to, and we even have the honor of being godparents to their youngest son. The four of us had a great time catching up on the latest and telling funny stories, all the while enjoying each other’s company immensely.

After we sat down at the candlelight dinner table, the conversation turned to work. Brad started off by saying to Bill: “Tell me again what you do.” And I could tell that Bill was about to give his spiel including the title on his business card and what, specifically, he did for his company.

But before he could get started, Brad surprised all of us—especially Bill—and said, “No, I don’t mean for you to tell me about your job; I know what you do.” He continued, “Tell me what you’re passionate about; tell me what you love to do.”

Woah. Since when has a “work” conversation focused on what you love? What you’re good at? What you’re passionate about? For many of us in business, we are used to spelling out Read more »

Have you ever noticed how certain people and situations give you lots of energy, and you feel jazzed in their presence? And then there are other situations or personal interactions where afterwards, you feel completely zapped of energy and feel like doing nothing but collapsing in bed?

Interesting how that works! In my coaching, I encourage my clients to follow their energy. Meaning that when they feel a “call” toward something—whether it’s toward a person, an idea, a place, a project, or whatever—they should go to it!

Follow the aliveness. Follow the joy. Follow the call.

At the same time, when I hear my clients talking about an event that they feel like they “should” attend and there is complete flat-ness in their voice, I have them stop and check-in with what’s happening. It’s obvious to me that there is no energy there…and there’s also an important message for them in that feeling.

Just like everyone else, in my own life I routinely question whether or not Read more »