Snorkelling & Self Development: Are You Afraid Of Diving Below The Surface?

Snorkelling and self development...same, same.

I've realised on my recent trip to the Maldives that I love snorkelling for the same reasons I love to life coach.

Looking from the outside, at the surface, we get one picture....perhaps aquamarine waters or turmultuous seas; or a high achieving got-it-all-together human or perhaps a person presenting as an angry sad individual.

But once we dive under the surface, the true hidden gems are revealed.

In water we see coral and fish of all descriptions.... moving in all directions at once but with an overarching sense of order and structure. The beauty and simplistic complexity is often overwhelming.

The same of life coaching.

Sitting with someone and holding space to take that journey under the surface.... wow the ecosystems we can witness there.... the unique combinations of needs, values, beliefs and fears that swirl together to create their 'under surface' world.

Whether dark oceans or light waters, there always exists beauty below. And often the sights and ingredients are similar in many ways.... small fish, big fish, flat coral, jagged coral....whilst always being total unique and different too. The same with people.

Very often the patterns and needs, wants or fears are the similar but the way the combine and take form are very specific to the individual. Hence the behaviours and results show up differently but are a fusion of common elements.

Interestingly what I've noticed with both experiences (coaching and snorkelling) is that too often we're afraid of going beneath.

We fear leaving the safety of the surface ... where life is lit fully by the sun and we are comfortably encased in the oxygen we need to survive.

As for personal deep diving it means going beneath the safety of the stories we know and the realities we cling to for that sense of security.

Yet...in both experiences ....it's what lies beneath that offers the truest beauty and reward.

The ocean is not just the oft-dazzling surface it presents....it is so much more. So much more.

Life like no other dances endlessly beneath its surface.

And the same is true for each of us.

When we release the fear of looking inwards and dive deep.... we will always be rewarded with a stunning new awareness of a world within so beautiful (and high functioning) it will blow our minds and offer us the same opportunity as a great snorkelling session... the ability to acknowledge the wonder of that which we truly are....a complex, complete (yet also decidedly simple) inner cosmos.

My thoughts on the matter? Dive. Dive deep. You'll either have your concept of life and your inner world blown wide open...or, if you don't enjoy the experience, you can resurface whenever you please.

And the most important thing to remember for both snorkelling and personal deep diving? Breathe. Steady, slow and deep.

Stay present and breathe.

M xox

 

SOME QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT LIKE TO EXPLORE:

Am I afraid of diving under my 'surface' to see my inner workings?

What am I afraid might be true/happen if I do?

What 'surface' am I presenting to the world?

Does that 'surface' or picture represent the truth of me?