At the end of a coaching session, a client said she had no idea she wanted or needed to talk about what she had just talked about. It had been rattling around in her head and sitting in the pit of her stomach for a while, but it was always covered up by other things that needed attention.
She appreciated hearing herself talk about it because thinking out loud allowed her thoughts to flow wherever they wanted, without interruption, only hearing questions now and then that helped her keep going or pick up on a thread she’d started.
As I thought about this session, it reminded me of something I’d read in AWAKEN YOUR GENIUS / Escape Conformity, Ignite Creativity & Become Extraordinary by Ozan Varol:
“Ideas, as the filmmaker David Lynch puts it, are like fish: ‘If you want to catch little fish, you can stay in the shallow water. But if you want to catch the big fish, you’ve got to go deeper.
“Diving deeper requires sustained focus on one idea, one question, or one problem. It’s called ‘top of mind’ for a reason: This idea has to be where your mind drifts when it’s allowed to drift. If you clutter your brain-attic with junk, important ideas will get crowded out by the rest and won’t have the room they need to expand.”
This week, allow yourself to think about something you’ve been putting off. Explore deeper. If writing your thoughts will help you think or go deeper, then write. Maybe it’s an idea you want to develop, or a curve in the path you’re on, or a problem with a particular person or situation, or an opportunity you’d like to pursue. It can be anything you’d like to think more about.
Come up with the question. If you’re not sure what it is, write on a blank page, “What do I want to think about?” You may be surprised at what flows out. This is your beginning. There’s a lot more within you.
