I had an old friend call me tonight. A couple times a year he spontaneously calls, seeking wisdom for some challenge he is working through. He has known me since I first began on the Life Coach path, and it felt good to be of service. I wanted to share with you the story I told him. I have shared it many times with clients and friends, and maybe it will benefit you as well...
Years ago I attended a Paul Scheele workshop. We ended our week together with a strange exercise. Each of us was handed a large, raw potato and a plastic drinking straw. We were told to hold the potato in front of us, about waist high, in one hand, and hold the straw in the other. We were then told we would be lifting the hand with the straw and letting our arm fall of its own accord, piercing the potato, with the intent of having the straw drive through to the other side. Yes, this was a RAW potato, and a straw just like those you find at Starbucks. Paul gave us the go signal, and we all released our arms. As I kept a close eye on the potato to make sure my aim was right, my arm came down, and the straw sliced into the potato - and stuck there. It didn't go through. I wasn't the only one with this problem. They had extra straws, so I grabbed another and tried again. I focused hard on the potato, dropped my arm, and the straw once again stubbornly crashed into the potato and cracked down the center, only going about half way through. I was frustrated, but I was also determined to figure this thing out. Cries of success kept erupting all around me, so I knew it was possible, but I must have been doing something wrong. A friend came by and gave me some advice. He told me that when he learned how to break boards in martial arts, there had to be a follow through, that the hand wasn't seeking to hit the boards, the hand was seeking the other side of the boards. I realized that the whole time I had been intensely focused on the potato. This time, I focused on the floor and allowed the potato to become barely a blur in my vision. As I dropped my arm this time, I imagined it falling all the way to the floor, and the straw sliced through to the other side of the potato. Just to make sure it wasn't a fluke, I tried it again, and again. Each time it flew through without any resistance. This time it was my shout of joy others were hearing.
The potato taught me two things. First, if we focus on the obstacles in our lives, we will continuously get stuck in them. Instead, we can focus on what it is that we truly want in life, and allow ourselves to glide through any seeming obstacle. Second, true success comes when we decide to follow through. Often in order to achieve our goals, we must focus just beyond them, and somehow the goal we desired energetically opens a passage for us.
If there is an area in life where you feel blocked, like you're going in circles, or where you're not quite sure what's "wrong" but know something needs "fixed", know that the past only exists as we recreate it in the moment. Each breath is a new beginning. The block you think you have to achieving your dreams is like the potato. Pretend it doesn't exist, focus on where you're headed, and you will be amazed how you glide through what you once thought blocked you as easily as walking through a light mist.
So tonight when my friend called (who has spent years going through numerous personal growth workshops, trainings, and seminars and still felt there must be something blocking him) I gave him permission to stop looking for what might have happened in the past, what might be wrong with his thinking or his energy (or anything negative) and informed him that those things were the potato. He didn't need to focus on those to get what he wanted. As a matter of fact, the less he focuses on what might be wrong while transferring that energy to something that he desires, the sooner it will come.
It's been a long time since I thought about that straw and potato, and I feel renewed tonight remembering the grace and ease that opens up when I allow myself to see right through any obstacles in my way and focus only on the journey I desire. I hope that the next time you feel something blocking your path you see past it to the dreams you hold dear and allow yourself to glide with ease through what you once imagined was an obstacle to your success. I look forward to hearing of your victory.
Peace & Blessings, Love & Light,
Crystal*
Years ago I attended a Paul Scheele workshop. We ended our week together with a strange exercise. Each of us was handed a large, raw potato and a plastic drinking straw. We were told to hold the potato in front of us, about waist high, in one hand, and hold the straw in the other. We were then told we would be lifting the hand with the straw and letting our arm fall of its own accord, piercing the potato, with the intent of having the straw drive through to the other side. Yes, this was a RAW potato, and a straw just like those you find at Starbucks. Paul gave us the go signal, and we all released our arms. As I kept a close eye on the potato to make sure my aim was right, my arm came down, and the straw sliced into the potato - and stuck there. It didn't go through. I wasn't the only one with this problem. They had extra straws, so I grabbed another and tried again. I focused hard on the potato, dropped my arm, and the straw once again stubbornly crashed into the potato and cracked down the center, only going about half way through. I was frustrated, but I was also determined to figure this thing out. Cries of success kept erupting all around me, so I knew it was possible, but I must have been doing something wrong. A friend came by and gave me some advice. He told me that when he learned how to break boards in martial arts, there had to be a follow through, that the hand wasn't seeking to hit the boards, the hand was seeking the other side of the boards. I realized that the whole time I had been intensely focused on the potato. This time, I focused on the floor and allowed the potato to become barely a blur in my vision. As I dropped my arm this time, I imagined it falling all the way to the floor, and the straw sliced through to the other side of the potato. Just to make sure it wasn't a fluke, I tried it again, and again. Each time it flew through without any resistance. This time it was my shout of joy others were hearing.
The potato taught me two things. First, if we focus on the obstacles in our lives, we will continuously get stuck in them. Instead, we can focus on what it is that we truly want in life, and allow ourselves to glide through any seeming obstacle. Second, true success comes when we decide to follow through. Often in order to achieve our goals, we must focus just beyond them, and somehow the goal we desired energetically opens a passage for us.
If there is an area in life where you feel blocked, like you're going in circles, or where you're not quite sure what's "wrong" but know something needs "fixed", know that the past only exists as we recreate it in the moment. Each breath is a new beginning. The block you think you have to achieving your dreams is like the potato. Pretend it doesn't exist, focus on where you're headed, and you will be amazed how you glide through what you once thought blocked you as easily as walking through a light mist.
So tonight when my friend called (who has spent years going through numerous personal growth workshops, trainings, and seminars and still felt there must be something blocking him) I gave him permission to stop looking for what might have happened in the past, what might be wrong with his thinking or his energy (or anything negative) and informed him that those things were the potato. He didn't need to focus on those to get what he wanted. As a matter of fact, the less he focuses on what might be wrong while transferring that energy to something that he desires, the sooner it will come.
It's been a long time since I thought about that straw and potato, and I feel renewed tonight remembering the grace and ease that opens up when I allow myself to see right through any obstacles in my way and focus only on the journey I desire. I hope that the next time you feel something blocking your path you see past it to the dreams you hold dear and allow yourself to glide with ease through what you once imagined was an obstacle to your success. I look forward to hearing of your victory.
Peace & Blessings, Love & Light,
Crystal*
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