Coach As Instrument: Love and Exchange

This Week's Attunement 

"Let it be easy."

Why do we, as coaches, sometimes become so tapped out? Why do we sometimes run out of energy when we love what we do?

In the last week at a unique weeklong training, I've learned that when we are feeling spent, it's because we are not in the flow of love and exchange. 

David Elliott, the leader of this training, defined exchange as "the flow of energy or consciousness given and received as energy, respect, value, appreciation, and love (it can also refer to goods, services, and money)." While this felt intuitive to me at some level (you too?), it didn't occur to me until now as a way to diagnose why I can sometimes feel so spent after a day of work, even when I'm doing what I love. 

David goes on to say that exchange, as described above, is initiated from self-love. And if we are feeling rundown, unvalued, or unappreciated somewhere in our life or if we are giving away too much of ourselves (and our energy), then that's likely a reflection of a lack of self-love.

David shares that "self-love creates a positive, energetic exchange with others and enables you to connect with the Universal Energy Flow" (the natural flow of energy that emanates from the earth, sun, moon, stars, wind, oceans, wildlife, etc.). 

You may be thinking that this is just too "out there," too "woo-woo," or too spiritual. If so, that's OK. Consider it logically, then. If you were loving yourself completely, your current self, your past self, your future self, all the parts of yourself, if you loved everything about yourself all the time, what might change? And notice your reaction to that question. What does loving everything about yourself all the time bring up for you? Whatever your reaction is, that might be a clue pointing to what's wanting to be released to let the love in.

Self-love is not an on-off switch, and it's not one and done. It's a constant practice and one that I'm going to work on daily. If you'd like to join me, start by writing a list of all the things you love about yourself. Take your time. Don't be modest. Shine a light on all the parts of you that are precious. When you are complete, read the list, let it sink in, and feel what you feel. You'll likely feel some vibration in your body emanating from it. Imagine what might shift if you felt that way all the time.

If you are feeling tapped or not in the free flow of exchange somewhere in your life, consider looking at where you aren't loving yourself. There is a good chance that if you aren't feeling appreciated or valued someplace in your life, it's a sign of not enough self-love.

When we love ourselves, we give our clients, our friends, and our family permission to love themselves. Wouldn't that be lovely if everyone around us loved themselves? 

We can lead the way!