Cleaning up messes

Filed Under Stretching the comfort zone | Leave a Comment

When I first started my coaching training years ago, I was introduced to the work of Thomas Leonard (God bless him!).   One of the concepts struck me as being particularly powerful - that of cleaning up tolerations…those usually niggly little things that tend to take up lots of mental or emotional energy just because they haven’t been handled.

The definition of a “Toleration” is anything that you are putting up with. Tolerations distract our attention; eg. “I really need to fix that…” and siphon our energy.

Today I was presented with an opportunity to clean up something that was, in the grand scheme, not a huge deal, but in the short term was eating at me.  I’d not been completely honest about a situation and knew that if I kept silent, it would bite me down the road.  So despite the intense dread, I made a couple of phone calls, left barely coherent messages, got the return calls and set the record straight.  Not pleasant.  Will have to live with some repercussions, but feel a lot better and was actually commended for the courage it took to make the calls.  I’d like to think that this was such a great lesson that I’ll do better from now on, but as I keep growing and trying to clean my heart and soul to be a clearer reflection of the Divine, I imagine there’ll always be more and more subtle cleaning that takes place.  I hope I learn to love this!!


Always do what you are afraid to do.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Being Real

Filed Under Authenticity, Coming out of hiding | Leave a Comment


A number of years ago, I had a favorite devotional I used in my recovery program. Somewhere along the line, it fell apart and I probably tossed it. I can’t remember the name and I haven’t been able to find another copy, but I DO remember one of the stories that really touched me & I loved reading it! In the story a mother, grandmother, and little girl go to a restaurant and the waitress takes the orders for the two women and then turns to the little girl and asks what she would like. The girl’s mother starts to answer, but the waitress raises her hand to stop her and again, turns to the little girl and repeats her question. The little girl joyously gives her order, the waitress smiles, says “Coming right up!” and begins to walk away. The little girl excitedly says, “Mommy! Mommy! She thinks I’m REAL!”1164704972c1ctth

I get a little teary when I think of the story…how many of us didn’t feel very real growing up? Even now, it often feels that people are so hungry for been seen for who they are, rather than what they’re doing.


By TwitterButtons.com