The Wind in Our Sails

Our interior sails are filled with conceptual winds, with the nuances of perceptual breezes, eddies of our Soul's stirrings—these are the air currents that carry us into our spiritual seas, into the mystic ports of our deeper callings--to those things which "we must do." Deeper than a craving, these are ports of homecoming to our souls, something of which we already carry on board, a pregnant vessel, Soul-yearnings seeking to be born of us--seeking expression in this world.

Adam Leipzig—in his 10 minute TED Talk on finding our Life Purpose posed 5 questions to provide new insight, clarity and interpretation to our often strained and muddled response to the two standard questions that come up at group functions or meetings:  

“What’s your name?” and “What do you do?” 

The standard response would be something like this: 

Hi—I’m Coquille. I’m a Prayer Practitioner at a Prayer Call Center.”  

While that is an answer . . . there’s not much juice in that response. It doesn’t capture the vibrancy of doing this work, and the changes that arrive the callers’ experiences, nor mine. 

Adam guided the audience to consider these 5 questions in designing a response that would more accurately reflect not just the situation, but the deeper, subterranean events of the work that we do: 

Questions:  

1.  Who Are You? (Name) 

2.   What Do You Do?

(Not necessarily a job, because you may be in between job titles, rather to focus on the essence or elements of the work—see below.)  

3.   Who do you do this for?

(What is your target group?—some succinct definers) 

4.   What they needed?

(Why would these people seek you/what you do?) 

5.   The changes that result from their needs met?

(The outcome/positive effect of your work with these individuals) 

So here’s a revised response to those two standard questions: 

Hi--I’m Coquille.  

I guide people who are in a state of Divine Restlessness—people seeking fresh winds to fill their sails—carrying them to deeper, richer, more fulfilling experiences. Starting with clarity of their concerns and yearnings, I affirm a synthesis of metaphysical Spiritual Truths (Affirmative Prayer) at the call center, or, in other contexts, I share Mystical, Jungian, Shamanic and Life Experience wisdom insights, steering people to a renewed sense of worth and competency, providing new interpretive and narrative tools, pointing them to success by prompting consent to the Native Presence, Power and Wisdom within.
 

These 5 questions breathed life into the perceptions of who I am, what I do—and why; not only in my “day job,” but in the larger work of my life. ‘Hats Off’ to Mr. Leipzig for the rich change in perspective he creates with just these five questions—in a 10 minute TED talk; not a 6-week, $600 course!

Mr. Leipzig pointed out in his talk, that though the first two questions are about ourselves, the next three move outward to others. In this, there is a ripening sense and clarity of the blessing brought by honoring who we are, and putting that out into the world: while beginning with our native talents and callings, it strikes a shift outward to meeting others’ needs--the joy of casting off the mooring lines as they turn sail into their own Soul-seas.