Your Life Is Golden

What’s Your Story?

Your resume only tells you so much. That’s why, when the winds of change are blowing, it’s best to look at your entire life story for guidance. I don’t mean the 500+ page tell-all you might write someday. This is a two or three-page bulleted version with snapshot moments from throughout the decades.

That’s a quick description of the Life Story, a central exercise from the Now What?® program. (1) It’s an atypical coaching assignment because it looks back in time instead of forward, however it’s not done with a psychoanalytic eye, but rather an intuitive one. The opportunity is to look back with great reverence, allowing the wisdom of your life to speak to you.

Have you ever reflected on your life that way?

It Might Surprise You

As you can imagine, all kinds of things come up when you review the story of your life. Things you’ve classified as successes, failures, great times, and dark periods. Things that you’d put in the plus or minus column if you were keeping score.

In the Now What?® program, we use the life story to find Clues to Clarity. One way to do this is to identify the Golden Threads. These are themes and patterns that run throughout your life. Some threads are right on the surface while others are more embedded.

Quite often the gold is found in surprising places. Kim, an executive and legal professional, realized that the impact of being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in her early adult life is that it gives her good balance and reminds her about moderation. This observation, pieced together with other golden threads in her life story, helped Kim identify her core purpose: to be the voice of reason. Having this purpose affirmed is something that continues to inform Kim’s professional contributions, parenting style, and life choices. (2)

Jobs you hated and jobs you loved. Places you’ve lived and people who influenced you. Beginnings, endings, and everything you’ve experienced. Nothing is ever a waste if you mine for the gold.

What did you learn? Who have you become? How can that guide you now? That’s gold.

Like It’s Golden

Golden threads are interwoven through every phase of your life. In addition to your peak experiences, what if some of your toughest challenges were there to serve you, teach you, form you, and move you forward?

Maybe it’s all gold.

This Week’s Call To Action:

• Take a walk through the decades and jot down your life story in bulleted format. Include significant events from your childhood, adulthood, personal life, and career. What themes do you see? You can also seek input from trusted friends and advisors. (For an actual description of this exercise, refer to Chapter 4 of the Now What?® book.)
• What is life showing you right now, at this present time? What is emerging to be expressed, shared, or honored in a deeper way?
• Get in the habit of asking: Where is the gold in this experience?

Remember this song? It’s still catchy, good one for the playlist.

Live your life like it’s golden…
because it is.

Note:
(1) Now What?® is a registered trademark of LBF Intercoach, Inc. and is based on the book Now What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction by Laura Berman Fortgang. Ginny Kravitz is senior member of the Now What?® coaching community.

(2) Name changed for privacy.