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14.

FlashDance ! What a Feeling!

Linda Weinberger

             When I want to re-energize and inspire myself, I walk to our player piano and pop in my favorite piano roll.  If you’ve ever seen player piano rolls, you know that they have the words printed beside the little punched out spaces that make the music.  I sing with it, often re-wind it, and sing again.  I didn’t even know those song-writers, yet they crafted a song just for me. . .

 First, when there’s nothing but a slow growing dream. . .

            Just three years ago I took a half-year sabbatical from my teaching career, to decide, “Who will I be when I grow up?”  Something was “off,” and I had a sense that there was more I could do with my life. But what?

            Some days I could hardly drag myself out of bed; I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia; my feet and legs hurt; I felt like I was run over by a steam-roller.  So, at age 50 I gave myself the gift of time to explore my options.  All my gremlins of self-doubt showed up, yet I played with the ideas of becoming a consultant, a tea shop owner, a florist, a travel agent, a chef.  I felt like I needed to re-claim something, but I honestly couldn’t put a name on that “something.”

            My friend Elena handed me a newspaper article one day and said, “Linda, do you know anything about this?  This is who you ARE; it’s what you DO!”  The article was about Life Coaching, and I’d never heard of it. 

            I went to a meeting of the Philadelphia Area Coaches Alliance to actually see who these people called “coaches” were.  I came away ecstatic!  How could there be a profession so perfectly suited to me and I’d never heard about it?  These people were vital, whole, and had one thing in common: They honored themselves, each other, and their clients with a zest for unlocking human potential.     

 I was excited, energized . . . and scared. 

 That your fear seems to hide deep inside your mind. . .

            How could I start a brand new career now?  What if I failed?  What if I spent a lot of money on coach training and no one hired me?

            Uncertainty and downright fear showed up regularly.  All the “What ifs. . .” haunted me, yet I continued on; I was compelled by something larger than myself.  I found my coach training and my experience of being coached life-altering.  No one ever asked me questions like, “How do you honor your values? (what WERE they, anyhow?),” “What needs keep showing up?”, or “What’s your vision for your life?”

 All alone I have cried silent tears full of pride.

In a world made of steel, made of stone.

And then came tears . . .

 . . .sometimes of anger. . . “Why can’t I just be like a normal person?  So what if I’m frustrated with the (education) system; I’ll just endure it until I can retire.”         

. . .sometimes of fear. . .”What if I fail?”

. . .sometimes of chagrin. . .”So how much are you REALLY making ?”

 . . .sometimes of pleading. . . “What am I supposed to be doing with my life?”

                    Well, I hear the music

                    Close my eyes

                    Feel the rhythm Wrap around,

                    Take a hold of my heart!

             I remember saying to my coach one day that I wanted to “let more of my Spirit out,” but I was afraid of what might happen when I did.  I acknowledged that my life was out of balance, and I accepted her fieldwork to have some fun.  I registered for the Lehigh River Sojourn, something I’d always wanted to do but just never took the time.  Out in Nature that beautiful day, I kept getting these intuitive “hits” about how the river and the canoeing experience were the perfect metaphor for life and business. I came home and contacted Beth Meininger, an extraordinary woman and coach I’d admired to discuss how we could combine life coaching and canoeing.  Water, Wisdom, and Women—River Journeys—a life coaching and canoeing adventure—resulted.

            The experience of fully listening to my heart, and doing what “felt” right was new to me.  Serendipitous events began to occur.  Collaborating with Beth after a chance phone call, reading a book called FISH!, A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results that a friend handed me, and my full-time position at school changing to a half-time position all simply happened, not by my conscious design.  I felt like my life was in that canoe—I was paddling and the river was taking me in its flow.  

What a feelin’

Be-in’s believin’. . .

I can have it all now I’m dancing for my life!

             Nearly a year after I started down my path of discovery, my heart and soul were really coming back to life!  I gradually began releasing the “shoulds” in my life and embracing the experiences and possibilities that really excited me!  First, a coaching practice, then River Journeys to beautifully connect participants to our ultimate source—Nature and water—next a successful tele-class called Clutter Buster! in which I coached participants to lightly and joyfully take the actions to get rid of the clutter and let the energy flow in their environments and in their lives, and then mind-body coach training using the chakra energy system.  Hey, my Spirit was just waiting to be spring . . . and it was showing up gloriously!!

             One day as Beth and I were talking we realized that we really wanted to bring the spirit of Nature more fully into the work that we did, so our Coaching from Nature™ company began to grow.  We took ourselves on retreats to connect more fully with nature, and as we did, more energy and possibilities emerged.   

            On a recent Friday we were having lunch and had just commented that, “We really know how to treat ourselves well!”  We had planned to finish up a Coaching From Nature™ product, and were discussing how we’d complete one element.  Suddenly, an idea landed on us for a related but separate product, and it seemed to huge, so intense, so imminent that we had no choice but to embrace it fully.  Birthing Peace™ was born that day, and now just a few months later our product is evolving more brilliantly than we could have imagined.  The perfect people and opportunities emerge just when we need them!

             And the place I’ve always loved—school—holds new meaning for me as another aspect of my own company, Higher Branch LLC, now offers “Energize Your School” play shops using all the best energy unleashing tools and the FISH! philosophy.  What excitement for me to bring new life to the system!

             Magically, as I honor my top values—independence, inner harmony, adventure—more abundance shows up.  My relationship with my husband of 32 years deepens, I anticipate a month-long goodwill trip abroad, and I always feel great. Fibromyalgia—what’s that?  It’s gone! 

Take your passion

And make it happen!

Pictures come alive

You can dance right through your life!

             My purpose in life is loving, listening, and creating.  My first 50 years were filled with wonderful opportunities of teaching special needs children, crafting a home for our family of mom, dad, and two incredible, heart-fulfilling sons, counseling children and parents in schools, living abroad, and welcoming a network of friends into my life.  Somewhere along the line, my Spirit took a back seat as I became more of a human do-ing and less of a human be-ing. 

            My passion is that I live a gloriously productive life, and that I teach, coach, and inspire others to live vibrantly and fully.  My Spirit dances as I do exactly what I love! 

©2003. Linda Weinberger, Higher Branch LLC.  www.higherbranch.com.  All Rights Reserved.

FLASHDANCE! What a Feeling!  By Gloria Estefan

Linda Weinberger

Higher Branch LLC

Life Coaching, Energy Play shops, and River Journeys—come play, and listen to your own music!

P.O. Box 113

East Greenville, PA. 18041

215-679-3981

Linda@higherbranch.com

Web: www.higherbranch.com

          www.riverwisdom.com

          www.coachingfromnature.com

          www.birthingpeace.com. (coming soon!)