I have spent my life searching and seeking.
Even when I did not realize that I was doing it.
I loved Easter egg hunts, and digging for potatoes and carrots that were hidden in the ground. I love looking for lost items, solving mysteries and getting answers.
In 1989, I was living in Cincinnati and my parents were living on the farm in Woodford County Kentucky. I was at work and I received a panic call from my mom (which was very unusual). She lost her diamond wedding ring and band in the large vegetable garden that she had been tilling up.
So, it was really lost…
She was devastated. Two of the diamonds in the ring my Dad had brought back from World War II and the third diamond had been my grandmothers. My parents have their talents, but searching was not one of them. This was a search emergency! So, I took off work early, rented a metal detector and off I drove 2 hours to help find that ring.
It was a very hot day and the height of the afternoon. The machine was fun to use… at least for the first hour. It showed little pictures on the screen of what it thought it was detecting. It said ring A LOT… and I was getting frustrated.
The farm was well over two hundred years old then and there were lots of “metal” objects setting off the machine. Bottle caps, bolts, handmade nails, old pieces of tools… you name it. It was buried there. Every time the machine went off, I had to stop, crumble the rich soil and find the hidden item in it. This went on until the sun was beginning to set behind the garden. Sweating, covered in bug bites and emotionally exhausted from hoping every soil crumble would lead to the ring that holds my parents love story… I kept going.
If I’ve been told once, I’ve been told a hundred times that I have a “dog on a bone” mentality to the nth degree. When my attention gets on something, I won’t stop until I get it complete. My parents were keeping me hydrated with water and lemonade and checking to see all of the items that I had found. Even I was beginning to think about giving up and going to have a gin and tonic on the side porch and decide what our next strategy for the morning would be.
I remember as clearly as it was yesterday saying, “I’m going to look for 5 more minutes.” As soon as I said that, the machine went off again. This time the screen on the machine showed a ring again (I was thinking, yea right!?). My Mom and Dad were standing right there and I reached down and crumbled the rich Kentucky soil in my hand and there it was! Covered in dirt, but otherwise unharmed! I remember I handed it to her as she cried and hugged my Dad. I looked back as I went into the house and there they were holding onto the ring and each other as the sun silhouetted them.
It’s now one of my favorite memories.
Why am I telling you this story? Because I realize that everything in my life, starting from being adopted at birth and searching for answers to being a natural seeker and having a “dog on a bone” personality all combined to help me be the best coach I can be for my clients.
Today, when I work with my clients I feel like I’m on a treasure hunt. The people I work with have built up stories about who they think they need to be or who they “should” be and those stories are burying the shiny, sparkly truth inside.
Finding the “thing” that stops my clients is what I do best.
My gift is identifying and helping people to clear the blocks that are in their way.
Once we’ve done that, something amazing happens. They realize they are “enough” just as they are. They don’t have to DO anything or SAY anything or PROVE anything… it’s a huge relief to work through personal roadblocks when they find that under all the stories, they are enough.
When they do this, they can take a deep breath, feel peace… and get to work being successful. That, my friend, is a brilliant place to live your life from. In fact, that is the best treasure of all.
If you are ready to find your hidden treasure, I would love to speak with you. Schedule a chat with me here.