Three profound questions – Julian Summerhayes

If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll have seen me mention an event that I attended last Friday at Embercombe Farm, which is near where I live and located in the foothills of Dartmoor.

The event was run by Liz and Stu of Coaching Connect whose mission is to help coaches develop their business.

This year’s event had been in my diary for a long time, and even though I knew I would be a little tired, having spent the previous day battling with delayed trains back from Southampton, I was really looking forward to attending. If I’m honest, I didn’t really know what to expect other than that from the emails that had been sent prior to the event, we’d been asked to bring some wellies and outdoor clothing, as at least part of the event was to be held outside.

So, off I trooped with wellies, jacket and an open mind.

Well, needless to say, it surpassed my expectations but, more than that, it imbued in me the sense that what I’m doing is important work, particularly if I can connect with people beyond the compass of business development and social media.

I won’t give you a blow by blow account of the day, but I will say that ‘Mac’ who, together with Kanada, founded Embercombe some 15 years ago, asked us to reflect on and consider three profoud questions (see the video below), which as far as I’m concerned goes to the core of who we are as a person and species.

For me, as someone who passionately believes that we were born to genius, I think these fit perfectly with my message. Indeed, in answering these questions it would appear almost impossible not to live out a life true to who we really are and not a shadow existence, as I think so many of us are forced to do by dint of the industrial mindset paradigm.

If I have one demand of you — not that I have any power to compel you to do anything — it’s to deeply enquire the purview of each of these questions.

Don’t look for the obvious, the glib or contrived.

Challenge your assumptions.

If you give the exercise your full attention, chances are you’ll come out the other side changed at least from the perspective that you’ll think carefully about what you’ve come to accept as normal.

One last thing. I think it’s important to change the narrative.

What do I mean?

Again, I would invite you to consider if the industrial model is the ideal place for you to become who you truly are.