The Coaching Chronicles: Game 6
Life is a journey they say. I have spent much time thinking and exploring this thought, especially recently. That’s when it hit me. I am sitting here exploring my thoughts… my life is more than a journey… it has been an expedition. An adventure that has traversed many paths and roads, some with dead ends and others on new trails that have yet to be seen or discovered. Everyday, I know people who look at their life and examine their presence identifying their worth based solely on their accomplishments. Why? Many of life’s accomplishments don’t come in the form of our victories, but they are revealed in our missteps and failures. Our society misguides us into thinking we need to do this or that, whatever it may be, and if we don’t fulfill this invisible social pressure – we are worthless.
I am always hearing people tell me that I need to write a book. I laugh and then I am usually invited to participate with a new club, group, team, or something similar because I have been told I bring perspective. This is quite the opposite from my late teenage and early twenties era where I was told, “You don’t understand. You don’t get it. One Day…” when it came to something the “adults” in the room were talking about. I felt diminished because I was socially shunned from others that had self perceived expertise in some subject or field of training. Let’s stop right here. While our younger generation may not have experience yet and just because they are younger in years, doesn’t mean they don’t have a story. In all my dealings with people, I am very intentional to never dismiss someone’s story. If they haven’t told it yet, why are we allowed to give a blanket judgement on who they are? In my case, instead of being dismissive to others who may seem “younger in years”, we should pause and not pre-judge. Every part of life is a journey, and each person faces challenges and experiences. Not everyone has the same experience, and for us to assume blindly just because someone is present in the same breath of air, shouldn’t discredit someone’s story of their journey.
An expedition is a series of journeys, not just one. Life unfolds itself over the next moment in front of our very eyes, and continues to deliver this until we no longer exist. We don’t cease to exist because we accomplished one adventure. The journey manifests itself when we continue to trek the multiple moments that weave themselves into our daily lives. Over time, we create and experience this in what I call The Expedition of Life. Momentary events, a period of time in our lives combined with a series of events month after month year after year. Even when life breaks us and crushes us to our inner core – we still exist. What we do when these events happen helps us move further in life, further into our expedition. Our expedition is multiple stories, tales, and legends of accomplishments in our life. It reveals the story of when we faced something that nearly destroyed us. It tells us and everyone about the commitment made to reach the zenith of what you perceived at the time to be the top of your mountain in life, when in fact many more mountains lay beyond what you could see. You faced those too… your story is rich with these incredible moments of strength where you looked death in the eyes, and told it to go to hell. There are dark and twisty roads to everyone’s story, how something or someone nearly broke you to futility, but you rose up and to live another day. These are the stories that each one of share when we look back at the “expedition”.
How are we to know each one of these stories without taking a moment to get to know the person? I believe we have either become complacent to take the effort to truly know others or we just haven’t been made aware that this invisible social relegation behavior should become extinct. Throughout my life, I felt I have always been trying to prove myself, to live up to the expectations of what others thought of me, my contributions, or hidden talents which had yet to be revealed. When assumptions take place, we are minimizing potential of others and limiting our own outcomes. Bringing awareness to ourselves will only help us grow. In this world, there are some people who have aimlessly lived. Then there are those who seem to be a mystery because they always have something to offer those around them because their life has became an expedition.
In my gentle heart, the way I have been designed is to see the positive in everything. I understand life is hard and demanding, but I do believe we all have a purpose for something. Whether that purpose has been established by life full of amazing things, or whether life has been very cruel and tough, I think we are here to shine a light into the darkness of our existence. Each person’s Expedition of Life is the way we can share these incredible stories and lessons in order to help others. Some people have had it good in life, and some have not. It’s not really fair. No one ever guaranteed us it was going to be. But imagine if, no matter what your story tells, if you could use your expedition, the adventures of your lifetime, to help another person? Wouldn’t that be the most amazing contribution to mankind?
What does your life story tell? What has transpired or what instances could you use to lift or carry another in need? How could what you experienced give hope to others? What would you tell? As a society, we have this social norm where we think only old people can talk about their experiences. Our world is dynamic and full of different things. While many of older generations do have stories because time has allowed them to create that experience, there are others more recently that may not even realize that they are the future leaders of this world, and what they have already accomplished is more than what some will ever do over their lifetime. I beg you all to share your gifts, share you knowledge, make others change their fixed mindset, open eyes and lead the way. Our world needs leaders that will invite the human spirit in all because they decided to share their own. We don’t have to have acclaimed accomplishments to be accomplished in life. We need to change our perspective and welcome a new one where our growth from failure is celebrated just as much as the victory itself. That growth should serve as fuel to push us forward into many new challenges that await. Then we can tell our our story of The Expedition of Life.
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Written By Chris Hulme ( aka – Coach Hulme ) #CoachHulme #ChrisHulme #TheHulme
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Coach Hulme 