International Coach Academy – PCCP Finals, Research Paper
Transcending destiny, developing mission and shifting the energy in transformational life coaching
Ana Noriega
http://ananoriega.wordpress.com
No. of words: approximately 2000
Introduction Destiny and mission are two words commonly known and used throughout the history of humanity. They are two important components in the human experience. Many also refer to them as karma and dharma respectively. Regardless of how cultures or religions choose to name them, what matters is what they stand for, their meaning and their concepts. But what is our perception of destiny and mission? Do we really have a clear concept of what these two basic components are and what their relationship with respect to energy is? Do we understand how this energy has a direct impact in transcending destiny and developing mission? This research paper will attempt to answer these questions and demonstrate, through information found in literature, reports, academia and web sites, how, in transformational life coaching, changing the perception of destiny can shift the energy in order to develop mission.
Old perception of destiny – a drain in energy For many (not to say the majority), destiny is perceived as a series of unavoidable events in life. Webster’s dictionary defines it as a predetermined course of events often held to be an irresistible power or agency (Miriam-Webster, 2009). The Oxford dictionary defines it as the events that will necessarily happen to one person in the future (Oxford dictionary, 1999). What is interesting to note is how some perceive destiny as an undesirable part of life and blame external forces for it. They have a hard time accepting that they’ve created problems or unhappiness in their lives and argue that they were victims of circumstance or International Coach Academy – PCCP Finals, Research Paper By Ana Noriega, http://ananoriega.wordpress.com
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had no other choice (Chopra, 2007). As stated by Chopra, “if we sow seeds of anger, greed, or fear, such will be our harvest”. Many people put up a fight against life resulting in failure and end up calling this injustice or bad luck (Schmedling). How often do we hear people say: ‘this is not for me’, ‘I don’t like it’, ‘why me?’, ‘I’m not comfortable here’, ‘this does not motivate me’, ‘they don’t value me’, ‘I can’t stand this anymore’ or ‘not again’. By all evidence, these attitudes of not accepting, resisting or playing the victim consume an individual’s energy. In fact, people with apathy, depressed, sad, frustrated or even carrying the feeling of defeat, maintain a very low level of vital energy. A depression, for example, is nothing other than a drop of energy level, which clouds – literally – the understanding and prevents the ability to see the solution of the actual problem, as well as to create new options to step away from those that are not useful anymore (Schmedling). With this low level of energy, how can destiny be experienced with a positive attitude? Destiny can easily be observed with either resistance or with resignation. Instead of facilitating the process of transcending destiny, on the contrary, this attitude complicates it and eternalizes it. This is often referred to as the law of cause and effect. In this case, the aforementioned attitude is the cause and the effect, the feeling of not moving forward, as well as the recurring and undesirable events or situations, which results in endless suffering. What would then be the missing link that would allow a shift in energy?
International Coach Academy – PCCP Finals, Research Paper By Ana Noriega, http://ananoriega.wordpress.com
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New perception of destiny – a shift in energy If the perception of destiny were to be inversed, would the energy not shift? Destiny or karma, according to Chopra, “isn’t about being punished or destined to suffer endlessly, it’s about understanding that everything that’s happening is a result of previous decisions, even if made unconsciously”. Chopra goes on by adding “if we plant seeds of health, harmony, and abundance, we’ll ultimately receive these beneficial fruits” (Chopra, 2007) Destiny is learning to work with life challenges. Though destiny demands the actualization of our potential and the fullest expression of our essence, it is never completed because it is the transitive verb of life (Ohotto, 2007). According to Seale, “we are all born with several big lessons to learn in this lifetime… Life lessons are those on which we spend a lifetime, because we keep going deeper and deeper in our understanding and learning process” (Seale, 1997). This means that destiny is always present in life. There is always something to improve and to learn. This also means that destiny is an opportunity. Those who take advantage of it succeed in life (Schmedling). Everyone has come to life to improve their spirit by learning and understanding through their own experiences what is missing in order to reach higher levels of consciousness (Schmedling). Since the level of consciousness is related to the level of vibratory frequencies, which in turn corresponds to the density of light and sound, which are forms of energy, there is then a direct relationship between energy and consciousness (Schmedling). It is safe to say that higher levels of consciousness would lead to higher levels of energy.
International Coach Academy – PCCP Finals, Research Paper By Ana Noriega, http://ananoriega.wordpress.com
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Accepting this reality would therefore generate higher levels of energy than confronting it or avoiding it. Being able to see the big picture opens the spectrum of possibilities. It allows seeing the impact of transcending destiny and the opportunity it brings to evolve and transforms lives to be correspondent to higher levels of consciousness. Is that not part of one’s mission?
Transcending destiny – Developing mission In light of the previous observations and analysis, when that shift in energy happens, the willingness and motivation to discover and transcend destiny occurs and as stated by Jaworski, “synchronicity enters our journey and assists us in realizing our mission” (Jaworski, 1996-98). In other words, the universe conspires to bring all the resources needed to transcend destiny and expand mission. There is in fact a relationship between that shift in energy and mission. As stated by Seale, “mission is an energy that flows through you – a drive, voice, or passion that you cannot ignore. Your mission is not an activity but rather your fundamental reason for doing that activity. It’s what you know in your heart you must live if your are to experience inner peace and harmony” (Seale, 2003). To be in the position of knowing something, somehow and somewhere, is because it has been learned. According to Schmedling, “mission is the awareness accumulated in the consciousness, which is manifested in the personality, such as a vocation, a specific inclination that a person feels towards certain activities and where passion is present” [translated]. By consequence, the energy level increases, which enables one to live and serve others with enthusiasm and passion.
International Coach Academy – PCCP Finals, Research Paper By Ana Noriega, http://ananoriega.wordpress.com
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From mission originates: interior peace due to a higher level of vital energy; the enthusiasm to confront destiny; capacity to serve others with success; wisdom to value and to take advantage of what we are and what we have (Schmedling). In summary, changing the perception of destiny enables to transcend it. Transcending destiny brings about a higher level of energy and, consequently, enables the development of mission. What are then the implications in transformational life coaching?
Implications in transformational life coaching As observed in the previous section, recognizing destiny as an opportunity to evolve and transform our lives in mission, brings with it the necessary energy to realize it. As such, the implications in transformational life coaching are many and can best be described by the following five areas:
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Reframing the perception of destiny;
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Recognizing destiny;
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Supporting transcending destiny;
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Reframing and developing mission;
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Monitoring the energy.
Reframing the perception of destiny into an opportunity to develop mission, is a step to empower the client to move forward by responding and not reacting. This step supports the client to shift energy in order to commit and design actions to co-create a new reality.
International Coach Academy – PCCP Finals, Research Paper By Ana Noriega, http://ananoriega.wordpress.com
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Helping the client to recognize destiny is another important step that requires awareness and the coach’s ability to:
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Guide the client to self-discovery and see truth;
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Listen closely and attentively;
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Communicate with the client in a clear, open and constructive way;
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Facilitate ownership while avoiding falling into blame;
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Lead the client to trust in the process.
By doing so, the coach establishes boundaries to prevent the client’s energy from spilling over. It is a form of structure for containment of energy. Supporting transcending destiny is a crucial step in the coaching process since it leads to awareness. In this case the need to maintain a high level of energy is of utmost importance. This step requires the coach’s ability to identify underlying automatic commitments1. This also implies that the coach take the necessary measures to bring lightness and game more than significance to the process. This can be accomplished by using powerful tools such as acknowledging, enthusing and celebrating. In the end, transcending destiny is the path to developing mission. Based on the fact that mission is “the awareness accumulated in the consciousness” (Schmedling), it allows applying to the present moment what has been learned. Transcending destiny gives more elements to develop mission. As such, coaching helps identify everything the client likes to do and is easy to realize, and consequently easy to 1
According to the International Coach Academy (AC111, 2007), an underlying automatic commitment, or UAC, prevents us from getting what we want. These commitments are not unconscious (underlying), but they are so automatic that we are driven by them despite what we say to the contrary. These commitments are working away, continually causing the kind of outcome that we say we do not want in our lives.
International Coach Academy – PCCP Finals, Research Paper By Ana Noriega, http://ananoriega.wordpress.com
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teach and serve others. Transformational life coaching aligned with universal principals invites clients to bring this passion in any area of their lives independently of their functions2. Living this passion does not necessarily imply a source of revenue but, rather a source of tremendous energy. This passion comes from awareness; it comes from within and not from any external element. As stated by Chopra, “following our dharma in the deepest sense means that we’re not merely obeying the laws or regulations set down by society. Dharma isn’t about the external world but about aligning with the pure spiritual force within. When our intentions, thoughts, words, and actions support our life’s purpose, we are in dharma. And then we bring fulfillment to ourselves and everyone else affected by our actions” (Chopra, 2007). Clients are experts of their lives and coaching is the support to generate and maintain the level of energy they need to move forward. Access to this energy helps clients to see clearly and find more options, which increases understanding and awareness that guide the actions to more satisfying results.
This is why monitoring the energy level is an
important task in transformational life coaching.
Conclusion In light of all the observations and analysis resulting from a review of literature, it can be concluded that changing the perception of destiny can in fact shift the energy in order to develop mission, as this research paper aimed to demonstrate and, that this conclusion has significant implications in transformational life coaching. As clearly observed in this research paper, the different attitudes emanating from having an old perception of destiny brings about a lower level of energy, which can possibly prevent anyone from experiencing destiny with a positive attitude. On the other hand, 2
Function refers to the activity a person engages in to earn a living.
International Coach Academy – PCCP Finals, Research Paper By Ana Noriega, http://ananoriega.wordpress.com
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changing the perception by providing a clear and concise understanding of destiny shifts that energy and when that happens, the willingness and motivation to discover and transcend destiny occurs, giving way to a higher level of energy to allow the development of mission. Mission comes from the transformation of the being. The effect of this transformation is the capacity of action and service. This important transformation is a generator of higher levels of positive energy. The role of the coach is therefore instrumental in helping the client shift the energy, maintain it at high levels and monitor it. This also implies helping the client not to fall into old and automatic patterns that are part of destiny but, on the contrary, installing new ones that make transcending destiny and developing mission the most fulfilling and enriching experience in life.
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Bibliography [1] Miriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary, April 15, 2009, http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/destiny
[2] Concise Oxford dictionary (10th ed.).(1999). New York: Oxford University Press. [3] Chopra, Deepak. The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Practical Guide to the Fulfillment of Your Dreams. Amber-Allen Publishing, Abridged edition, June 5, 2007
[4] Schmedling, Gerardo. Manejo Practico de Las Leyes de La Vida. Colombia: Escuela de Magia del Amor, Uniccomundo
[5] Seale, Alan, Wilson, Devin. COACHING FOR TRANSFORMATIONAL PRESENCE – Calling Forth Greatness in the Human Spirit. New York: Full-Spectrum Living, 2009.
[6] Yogananda, Paramahansa. Autobiografia de un Yogi. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowhship, 1997.
[7] Schmedling, Gerardo. Asumiendo la Vida con Sabiduría. Colombia: Escuela de Magia del Amor, Uniccomundo.
[8] Ohotto, Robert. July 8th, 2007. Fate, Destiny, and the Law of Attraction. Online, May 8, 2009,
http://zephyr.gaia.com/blog/2007/7/fate_destiny_and_the_law_of_attraction
[9] Seale, Alan. Intuitive Living – A Sacred Path. San Francisco: Weiser Books, 1997. [10]Jaworsky, Joseph. Synchronicity – The Inner Path of Leadership. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publications, 1996-1998.
[11]Seale, Alan. Soul Mission, Life Vision. San Francisco: Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC, 2003, p. 40.
[12]Schmedling, Gerardo. Houdho, Guía Didactica Para Los Padres. Colombia: Escuela de Magia del Amor, Uniccomundo.
[13]Schmedling, Gerardo. Sociología de la Evolución. Colombia: Escuela de Magia del Amor, Uniccomundo.
[14]Encyclopedia-Karma, Global Oneness. Online, May 1st, 2009, http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Karma/id/1895710 International Coach Academy – PCCP Finals, Research Paper By Ana Noriega, http://ananoriega.wordpress.com
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International Coach Academy – PCCP Finals, Research Paper By Ana Noriega, http://ananoriega.wordpress.com
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