I was lucky enough to work with Three Principles Facilitator Michael Neill for many years and as such I got to sit in on 5 of his Supercoach Academy classes. In 2014 I was struck by how the impact of this work came out in such seemingly innocuous insights and I wanted to share with Michael what his work was really accomplishing in the world so I set out on a “secret mission”. I asked each of the students of that years class to share an insight they had as a result of learning about the Principles. With a lot of help from Academy student (now Certified Transformative Coach) William Snow – we were able to publish a book of these insights and surprise Michael with it as a Thank you gift for bringing this understanding to so many.
What I loved about this project was that everyone had seen SOMETHING new and it did not matter how long they had been looking in the direction of the Principles. Some of the insights at face value seemed “small” and some seemed “earth-shatteringly large” and what made it seem small or large depended largely on the readers own experiences and what that particular insight brought to mind for us. The same ones that made me weep with their enormity were brushed off by others. What was true overall though was that the book was a hit! People laughed as they read it – they cried. They saw themselves in the stories and they saw the innocence of others. When they finished reading they felt a part of something larger, they felt kinship with the other human beings inhabiting the planet. It was clear that we all work the same way and innocently we get caught up in our thinking.
So when I began to look at what kind of difference I wanted to make in my position as Executive Director for Center for Sustainable Change, I knew part of it would be in people sharing insights. In discussing how people share this understanding I have heard teacher after teacher say to “speak from the heart” to “share what you have seen for yourself” to “not teach above your paygrade”. In sharing in communities people have told me they feel overwhelmed with the idea of defining Mind Consciousness and Thought to someone and yet they can turn around and tell me how the Principles have changed their life and it is so moving!
So I am really pleased to say that CSC is working on a new video series called What I Know for Sure. It is people sharing those seemingly simple insights that if the whole world saw it in the way each of these people did, the entire planet would change. To kick things off I am sharing the insight that I shared with Michael as part of that book below. It is called “They Bounce Too”.
Throughout my time working with Michael and being exposed to the Inside Out understanding, I have begun to see more and more that “I bounce”. What I mean by this is that I understand that there is a greater intelligence behind life and a “kind design”. No matter what happens, I always come out ok.
During the first weekend of the Academy, Michael likened this security to a net that catches you during a ropes course. The entire time he spoke about it I kept thinking ” I know I bounce back – but how do I get my children to see that I bounce back so they don’t worry about me!”
During the break, Michael asked me why I look perplexed and I told him what I had been working on figuring out. He turned to me and simply asked, ” They don’t bounce?”
I was floored! I did not have to protect my children! I did not have to have them see everything the way I did – I did not have to “save them”! The kindness of the design” worked for them too! They bounce too!
The months following have left me with such a sense of security – as if I saw them fall off the ropes course 100 times and the net keep catching them. I saw the truth not just for myself and my fellow learners but for those I worry about most.
What a gift!
I would encourage you to take a moment and jot down the things you have seen – What do you know for sure about life that you did not know before you understood the Principles? Then I invite you to consider doing a video on one or more of these things and sharing it as part of our series. Do not dismiss the little things you have seen. Imagine the whole world knowing for sure what you know and what a difference that would make. You can submit a video or request to do a recorded video call with us so we can help with the tech and they will be shared on our shiny new website 🙂
I am grateful for all the insights I have seen myself and all those who have shared the insights they have seen, whether it was Supercoach Academy students, people I have met at conferences, people who have shared them via books, people who have posted them online or people I have worked with since joining CSC. The book was a gift from the students of SCA to Michael, this video series is a gift to us all.
As a student of that specifik Supercoach Academy of 2014, I can only agree. That book is one of my most treasured ones, and I the insight I shared in it but one of the many insights I’ve had that have made such a difference in life. And at the same time, I can only agree with Michael who, I do believe it was him anyway, said once that it’s not the insights themselves that are part of the miracle of the human experience, but that fact that we can have them!
Hi All! Just made a video. I’ll send it your way. Love, love, love this idea!
Beautiful Terri x
Thank you for reminding me that we all have what it takes to “bounce,” even when it seems that seems not to be the case. Hugs and blessings…………..