Dream teams and other invisible friends.

If you participated in last weeks seminar you perhaps heard me suggest that you put together a team. Your dream team. A team of people who will support you in what little or big things you want to achieve. In coaching terms we talk about the use of inner mentors. An inner mentor can be anyone; a friend, a family member, an old teacher, a colleague or perhaps a business or spiritual guru. Or how about a child? It can be anyone who somehow inspire you or has the kind of wisdom that lets them do whatever it is that they do so well with ease and gentle confidence.

At this moment in time my personal team consist of at least nine people, each with specific characteristics or skills that I greatly admire. Depending on the “challenge” I will call upon any or all of them in my head when needed.

I might ask “What would mentor X do in a similar situation? What advice would he or she give me?” Or I might at times even pretend to BE one of them and carry on with the challenge as if this was true. It is amazing how this changes perspective and internal state.

Finally, when I am really in at the deep end (i.e. about to jump into shark infested water with a cut on my leg), I might imagine the presence of the entire team, each offering their support and encouragement. This gives me such a strong sense of feeling safe(r), calm(er) and more capable and in this space anything, almost anything, becomes possible.

If you would like to start creating your team, perhaps a good place to begin is by thinking about what is important for you right now.

• Want to make an important decision? Who do you know that makes decisions easily?
• Want to feel more confident? Who do you know that has the kind of confidence you would like more of?
• Want to relax more? Who do you know that is really skilful at the kind of relaxing you crave?

Here’s to having fun with your team building exercises.