Hanging on

When I was at school I had an intense (as intense as teenagers can be) conversation with a close friend. She subsequently wrote an amazing poem about the conversation that later in the year won some national language prize. That same conversation theme came up again today, this time with my two older boys.

I was much older when I relayed the picture of us (people) being like puppets. Hanging on strings, being controlled, not having much choice. I could share my kids' frustration and confusion in trying to make sense of life, and our part in it. Understanding, or rather knowing, how much of a choice we have in it.

I suppose I have always had a thing for the dramatic. Recently a client commented on how I tend to dramatise some consequence scenarios. The observation was absolutely accurate. I am so very aware of the possibility of us not taking full ownership of choices that we consciously or not so consciously make, whether this relates to the existential and life purpose options or less loaded choices.

This awareness, or consciousness of how we deal with our lives often comes up in the mentorship and performance related conversations I facilitate for my clients. I use the Individual Assessment tool (http://goo.gl/UhC7V) to help people unlock their awareness of choices they can make in their own lives, jobs and careers.

Just yesterday I was part of such a conversation again. I expressed (of course very dramatically) to a talented, mid-life(ish) male manager a possible scenario if he did not choose to consciously steer his life/career in a different direction. He completely got it. I know that, reflecting on it a year from now, he will be in a different place in both his work life and personal life - he has made a decision to own his choices/life.