With only two weeks into this new year…how are your new year’s resolutions going?

I am curious about how resolutions become sustainable all year long or longer…What are your intentions for this year? How do you want to feel at the end of the year? How do you want to show up for yourself, your family, your community and the world around you in new ways? What do you need to shift in your life? How can you make the changes bite size? What guard rails do you need to maintain discipline towards these changes?

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Finding new perspectives, when your mind has tunnel vision. 

My car was nearly stolen with just a screw driver through the passenger side door’s key hole. After the second time it happened, a mechanic told me that there was nothing I could do. When he saw a look of desperation in my eyes, he explained that many vehicles have quirks that make them especially vulnerable to theft. He continued to tell me that any thief “worth their salt” knows you can steal this vehicle with just a screw driver. When the look of fear grew in my eyes, he tried to comfort me by telling me that most vehicles have something like this. Needless to say, his words did not comfort me. I left the conversation feeling extra vulnerable and questioning how to protect a vehicle that can be so easily stolen. 

I started to use a club on the steering wheel, as an extra precaution. I paid a lot of attention to where I parked it. I started moving it regularly from area to area in hopes no one would target it. I got strategic and it quickly turned into hypervigilance, keeping me on high alert for potential danger and threat. It took a lot of focus, energy and time to helicopter around the vehicle to prevent from all the “what ifs”.

One morning, I was walking to go to an appointment. In my hypervigilance, I thought I would walk by to make sure all was safe and sound around where I parked. As I approached my car, there was a man who appeared to be looking in the passenger side window. He scurried away as soon as I walked up. All of my senses heightened and I looked around for where he went, instantly deducing he must be casing the vehicle to steal it with a screw driver. 

My mind started to race with scenarios, but I continued to walk to my meeting, until I couldn’t take it any longer. I looped back around the block to walk back to where my car was parked, even though I knew it would make me late for my meeting. When I approached again, still more than 50 yards away, the same man was looking in the passenger window of a smaller car just behind mine. I decided to catch him in the act as I watched him move to the passenger window of my car again. I was not totally clear on what I would do when I caught him, but I was headed straight to him with determination to save my car from getting stolen by him.

When I got there, he was using the big side view mirrors to shave. It was obvious that he could see more of the contours of his face because my rearview was larger than the car’s mirror behind mine. I was too close to turn around, so after startling him with my stare, I smiled at him and kept walking. 

I had tunnel vision, causing misperception, assumptions, fears and subsequent hypervigilance. This man was just caring for his basic needs and I was happy to allow him to use my windows as a shared resource. It gave me pause to think about the assumptions I made and how quick I was to assume the worst.

My invitation for myself and all of you this month…when we have tunnel vision and the accompanied fears, hypervigilance and assumptions. Slow down. Get present. Find more perspectives - new ways of looking at a scenario. Take the actions you can to take exquisite care of yourself and those around you in the moment, instead of draining yourself with the “what ifs”.  

Sometimes we all need help finding another perspective…if you are curious about my work or want to reconnect…reach out.

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OFFERINGS

Connect with me for Coaching: I offer weekly coaching for individuals as well as Family System Coaching Packages for 7, 14 and 21 sessions. My business and non-profit consulting is customized to the needs of the organization. My intention is to help you build structures of not just care for yourself but to build structures that support exquisite (higher volume) care for yourself, your family, your business and your communities in challenging times of uncertainty, big divisions and fear. For a 20 minute free consultation: Connect

ADDITIONAL GROUPS AND OFFERINGS:

Family Coaching Groups

Drop-in Group: Parenting with Support - Wednesdays at 12pm PST. Join any Wednesday, just reach out for zoom link!  

My dream is to disrupt the isolation in parenting and prioritize thriving family nervous systems, transforming generations through support and intentional community.  This group invites parents into a container of support to have the opportunity to parent together. All with the vision that more webs of communities and connections will grow from there.  Please reach out if you are interested in joining the parenting group and please share the opportunity with parent’s who you think might be interested!

Social Entrepreneur Networking Group - Mondays at 8am PT, join any Monday.

Join a growing community of entrepreneurs from underrepresented or underestimated communities who are dedicated to giving back to their communities. We meet monthly to network, collaborate and dream up the world we want to co-create. Connect

Finding Hope in Times of Despair Writing Group : Moving Beyond Survival towards Nervous System Agility…Together building a new world for ourselves and the next generations Fridays at 8am PT, Join any Friday, just reach out for zoom link!  

Join a writing group that focuses on curiosity with prompts, sharing and community support around how we can all better support our nervous systems through inevitable change to build the world we want for ourselves and the generations to come. The group’s intention is to find hope in despair as well as agency in knowing when to stretch to take risks, and when to slow down and nurture - better caring for ourselves, others and the world. Connect

Climbing Coaching

Add indoor or outdoor climbing to your coaching package to embody your or your child’s shifts in a new way. Reach out if you are interested!

Check out updated website. Add climbing to your coaching. www.katwhippleclimbing.com

If you are CURIOUS about my offerings…connect with me for a 20 minute chat.