Of Spirit & Form

What should my goals be?
Will that path actually make me happy?
Should I change jobs?  Start that business?
Why does this relationship feel dead?
Why am I longing for a different house?  Or city?
Why do I feel so alive when I'm doing that?

I've come to see the work I do as a coach as helping people dance with Spirit and Form.

Let me explain what I mean by those two words (because they have helped me make sense of so much of my life - and those I’ve coached).

There's Form - the stuff and things and people and roles and systems and habits and geography and architecture and schedules and budgets...

Then there's our Spirit - the animating energy behind / underneath / through it all.

Form is fairly easy to define.  You can often point to it.  Or at least describe it (like your schedule or your idea for your next business).

Spirit is harder to define.  You can't put borders or boundaries around Spirit.  It's often not something you can make sense of or prove or agree/disagree with.  It's more like something you sense or resonate with.  You can't point to it, but it often points the way in our lives.

You can tell when it's absent ("That place has no soul."  "That singer is not feeling it." "This team is lifeless.")
And you can be overwhelmed by its presence. ("They were channeling something in that performance!" "This new idea has me flooded with creativity!")

What we long for - and really what life seems to be all about - is giving shape to what Spirit is doing.

I've come to see coaching as dancing with Spirit and Form - architecting our lives/time/energy/business to continually align these two dimensions.

Rituals, Budgets and Wallpaper

We are all craving connection and alignment with Spirit.

But Spirit needs Form.
The divine wants to incarnate.
The word needs to become flesh.
Our essence seeks expression. 

And our work is about bringing these things together - the ongoing creative process of giving expression to what is going on inside of us. 

We can do this in a thousand ways…

• We shape our work to align with our calling.

• We choose a home where we can create meaningful rituals and rest.

• We craft a conversation so our soul can connect with another.

• We read books and watch movies that will stir and inspire.

• We wear clothes that help us show up authentically.

• We select the wallpaper that makes us feel ready for a new day! :)

 Everything can be seen as a way to give concrete expression to the intangible immensity of who we are.  Giving image to the invisible.

 Sometimes these things get out of sync.  There are times when something is all Form and no Spirit.

• An email is just words on a screen...

• A business is just products with no soul...

• A relationship is just history with no passion...

 Other times, things are all Spirit with no Form.

• You're buzzing with energy and ideas but no action...

• That founder has an intense passion but the product feels hollow…

• He has a dream he's been longing to create for years but is too scared to take the first step...

 Spirit and Form - they shape each other.  Your Spirit directs what Form is needed in this season.  And the Forms in your life shape your Spirit.

 What we are learning to do is sense what is needed for the unfolding dance between our essence and it's expression.

Learning to see it all as spiritual (even choosing the restaurant)

 When we are out of touch with this dance, things can get wonky.  There might be frustration, confusion or downright depression.

• We might stay in a Form (job, relationship, idea, city) that no longer has any Spirit in it, wondering, "Why doesn't this feel the same?  How can I get the mojo back?"

• We might find our identity or purpose in a Form and cling to it like our life depends on it.

• Spirit might have us buzzing with ideas and energy - but we don't know how to begin to give it Form.

• We might imitate the Forms of our family or friends or culture - even though it's not aligned with our Spirit.

There's no formula here.  Well, maybe the formula is simply sensing and listening to what Spirit is doing in us.  And creatively designing our lives to stay in step.

Sometimes a Form needs to be re-energized with new Spirit.
Sometimes we need to rearrange the Forms in our life (schedule, environment, people) to fit what Spirit is doing right now.
Sometimes the Forms in our life suffocate Spirit - other times they create beautiful structure for our Spirit to come alive.

This view teaches us to see everything as "spiritual."  All of life - the type of pen you use for your journal, the emails for that new product launch, the restaurant choice for meeting up with that old friend, designing your monthly budget - is about giving Form to the mystery and movement of Spirit.

The Art of Creating a Meaningful Life

The central message of Jesus was, "The kingdom of God is near you, among you, and within you."  If we can just learn to sense it, align with it and creatively give it form. 

This is where we find joy.  Giving expression to our essence.  Whether it's a big move to a new city or a small adjustment in your routine.  Whether it's re-igniting an estranged relationship or selling a business.

The art of creating a meaningful life is the art of giving shape to the stirrings of Spirit within us.

From budgets to wallpaper.