Have you seen the TV show Blind Spot? I’ve just started watching it on Hulu this last week. For those unfamiliar with it, the show begins with a beautiful woman, covered in tattoos, being delivered to the FBI – with absolutely no idea who she is. Each episode, they solve one of the clues from her tattoos which moves her closer to her identity (while also stopping the bad guys from committing crimes!).
I wanted to share about a scene from one of the episodes, as it holds a powerful coaching tool. In this particular scene, the woman who they call Jane Doe is talking to her therapist. She’s struggling with the fact that she remembers nothing about herself. She can’t even decide what to order for takeout as she has no idea what she likes! The therapist listens and then hands her two cups – one filled with coffee and one filled with tea. When she reiterates that she has no idea if she is a tea or coffee drinker, he suggests she try them both. She does and discovers she likes coffee. He then tells her (I’m paraphrasing as I can’t remember the exact words),
“Every time you make a choice, you find a little more of yourself. You aren’t lost. You can find yourself by trying new things and letting your body remind you of who you are.”
Wow! I love that!
Now let’s apply that as a coaching tool.
While no one wants to experience real amnesia, we can use our imagination to help. Try the exercise below…
Sit somewhere comfortable where you won’t be disturbed. Take a few deep breaths and close your eyes. Imagine that you have just woken up and you have no idea who you are. You aren’t afraid (because in this scenario this is just temporary). You just realize that you don’t know your name, who you love, what you love to do, where you love to be, or anything at all about yourself. Sit with this for a few minutes, breathing calmly, knowing you are absolutely safe. Then ask yourself…
What do I choose…
- To eat?
- To drink?
- To talk about?
- To read?
- To watch?
- To do?
- To learn?
- To connect with?
You can do this solely from your imagination or even better, you can physically try things, just as Jane did with the coffee and tea.
Would you still choose what you are choosing now? Did you discover anything new that peaked your interest? Do you have limiting stories that stop you from trying those things in your day to day life?
What if all those past experiences or stories about who you are didn’t exist?
What would you be choosing?
If you find that your past is stopping you from doing or exploring what you are passionate about, then maybe it is time to clear away the hold the past has over you. Each day is a brand new day. Choose and let those choices connect you more and more deeply to your true self.
I’d love to hear what you discovered, so feel free to share in the comments!
Spirit Earth Coaching 