I don’t know about you, but occasionally I have the experience of learning something, completely forgetting about it, and then finding it again years later and wondering how I could have forgotten something so insightful… It is not as though the material was forgotten, or wasn’t completely taken to heart; more so, just mentally dismissed and perfectly timed for me to find it all over again.

As often as I can, I’m trying to refresh what I know about neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and recently I read something that I wanted to share with you. I tend to highlight and write notes in my books, and I saw a copy of Robert Dilt’s From Coach to Awakener so I picked it up and read through a few pages.

My eyes immediately rested upon something I had highlighted a number of years ago:

“Awakening goes beyond coaching, teaching, mentoring and sponsorship to include the level of vision, mission, and spirit. An awakener supports another person by providing contexts and experiences which bring out the best of that person’s understanding of love, self, and spirit. An awakener “awakens” others through his or her own integrity and congruence. An awakener puts other people in touch with their own missions and visions by being in full contact with his or her own vision and mission.”

For me, this concept really stands out as something that every single person is capable of doing. The requirements are states of congruence and integrity while fulfilling your mission and following your vision in this life. This transcends what you do for a living, and also includes it. This concept really stands out to me as something that every single person is capable of doing. And, keep in mind, that what you do today is probably nothing like what you did a decade ago or what you’ll find yourself doing a decade from now.

I believe it is important that you to consider what your mission and vision for this lifetime might be. In case you’ve never seriously considered it. One way to start is by writing down a few sentences about what is important to you and how you want to live. Condense it, rewrite it, make it a little more specific, or widen your vision to include more people… You’ll find something that looks right, sounds right, and feels good to you as you continue revising your vision. You’ve probably heard me say this before, but one way I find energy and motivation to move forward with my projects and to put life into perspective is to take myself through the following visualization.

I call it the deathbed meditation:

  1. Imagine yourself on your deathbed (morbid perhaps, but as uncomfortable as it may be, we have to face death and acknowledge that no one gets out of life alive…)
  2. In the last few breaths before you transition into the great unknown, reflect back along your timeline replaying the aspects of your personal history that were the most moving and significant.
  3. Then take into account some of the ways you might have wasted your time and emotional energy.
  4. Now find yourself focusing upon the things that caused you to feel the best and also empowered others to experience the wholeness of humanity in a way that helped or motivated your loved ones, and even complete strangers.
  5. Stay with this for a few moments, turning up these positive emotions and feelings, then let the visualization go and with a deep breath come back to the present moment.
  6. Now shift your attention to moving forward in your life; taking the next smallest step into your vision.

The more you practice this, the more effective it becomes at giving you perspective on your life in the moment. I believe that this mindfulness will empower you to step into the role of awakener in the lives of others – simply by being congruent with your personal mission. This is one of the subtle themes in my Attention Shifting NLP and Hypnosis Audio Programs. To learn more about Personal Development Trainer, Michael J. Emery, visit www.michaeljemery.com.