The Autumnal Seeds -- Introducing Hope beyond Hope
Why Hope beyond Hope workshops for coaches.
Anne Wright
10/6/20242 min read
It's Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada. A time of harvest, warm colours, and completion.
Parker Palmer speaks of the seasons as a metaphor for life with:
"In my own experience of autumn, I am rarely aware that seeds are geing planted... I am easily fixated on surface appearances (of endings) – – on the decline of meaning, the decay of relationships, the death of a vocation. And yet, if I look more deeply, I may see the myriad possibilities being planted to bear fruit in some season yet to come."
Yes. New seeds are sprouting in my life, astonished as I am. I find myself being carried into a new season... winding down some aspects of my practice to give myself more space, and, after a time of creative dormancy, finding myself being carried into a new vocation.
My dormant period was fuelled by a kind of daunted state in the presence of enormous challenges. I don't need to share my list with you. I'm sure you have your own. But now, actually inspired by Palestinian loved ones, I am cultivating Hope beyond Hope. By this I mean the kind of hope that doesn't rely on optimism; beyond positive psychology; beyond year-end goals. I mean the hope that, as Emily Dickenson says, "is that thing with feathers, that perches on the soul".
This next-level hope is actually required by all of us in order to face the challenges of our times. It is a core essential leadership capability.
That is why I have decided to offer a coaching skill-building series on Accelerating Hope Beyond Hope... an opportunity to be with other coaches, fuel your own development of this kind of hope, and gain access to design approaches, practices, and tools that you can use with your clients. So, a few requests:
Will you consider joining? There's an Overview Workshop, and a five-session in depth series coming up.
Will you help me spread the word through your network of coaches? This is for any coach, trained in any tradition who is looking to deepen their practice and widen their network.
Drop me a note: I'd love to hear from you about what you think and how this lands... and to catch up on what's going on with you in your life and your coaching.
Meanwhile, may you be available to all the textures and colours of the season.
