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Laurie Cameron

Certified Coach & Master Certified Relationship Coach

The Journey From Fear to Love

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Weekly WAKE UP Call!

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January 19, 2009

 

Planting the Seeds of Possibility

 

I grew up in Littleton, Colorado, a quiet suburb south of Denver . The big event every August was - and continues to be - Western Welcome Week, a celebration of our history and heritage in the Rocky Mountain west. After a week of art exhibits, concerts, golf tournaments, fishing derbies and pancake breakfasts, the grand finale is the parade on Saturday.

 

I generally make the time to attend the parade every few years. I love the festive energy and the connection to my own roots here. I also seem to gain some perverse satisfaction in being able to declare to anyone I run into that I know that the cheerleaders from my high school alma mater keep getting younger and younger every year. (Good thing I'm not getting older!)

 

A few years ago, after claiming my piece of backside-wide real estate on the curb, I settled into watching the rest of Littleton gather in anticipation of the imminent spectacle. Soon after, two young mothers spread a blanket out on the pavement in front of me. They then proceeded to try to arrange their active young children on the blanket, instructing them on the best way to view the approaching floats, marching bands, politicians, clowns, and horses.

 

At one point, the local Lexus dealer showed off a string of their newest models, waxed and polished to perfection, driven by smiling employees waving to the crowd through the open car windows.

 

When these bright new – and expensive – cars were directly in front of us, I overheard one of the mothers in front of me tell her children, "Don't even look at those cars because you'll never own one."

Toxic Seeds

 

I was stunned and appalled! Even though it didn't appear that any of the kids were visibly crushed by their mother's decree (because at 4 or 5 years old they likely didn't already hold any strong attachments to going out and buying a Lexus after leaving the DMV with their first driver's license in hand), I know she planted some very powerful seeds that day. Unfortunately, they were seeds of limiting beliefs. In that moment, those children were instructed to not bother dreaming too big; to accept only a certain level of pre-determined success, beyond which was inaccessible to them.

 

I have no idea if or how those seeds will germinate and manifest in their lives as they grow up. I don't know if they'll ever face and resolve the legacy of their mother's limiting fears, and choose a different path for themselves. I don't know if they'll pass the same restrictive beliefs along to their own children some day.

Our Moral Responsibility to Our Children

 

What I do know is that we – ALL of us – have a moral responsibility to be vigilant about how we are talking to our children, to ourselves, and to each other. In order to work our way free of our fears and into possibility thinking, we need to WAKE UP and pay closer attention to how our thoughts, words and actions are impacting our lives and the lives of those around us - either positively or negatively.

 

I know this is a bit soapbox-ish. I suppose that's because I'm pretty passionate about creating a world where our children feel safe, connected and valued. I'm increasingly committed to creating a collective mindset where our children really believe that anything's possible for them.

 

In order to move in that direction - in order for our children to grow up in possibility thinking - we must be aware of the seeds we're planting in them today. Your Journey from Fear to Love is just that – a daily journey of choosing more loving and constructive thoughts, words and actions today than you did yesterday.

Here's your WAKE UP CALL TO ACTION:

Step 1: Start listening to the words that come out of your own mouth.

Step 2: Ask yourself: "Are these words planting seeds of limiting beliefs, or seeds of possibility?"

 

If your answer is "limiting beliefs", don't stress too much, you get to change it. You get to say, "Wait a minute, that's my own fear popping up. What I really want to say is…."

 

Even if some time has passed between speaking the thoughts and your awareness that you planted some toxic weeds, you can go back and re-plant new seeds.

 

With increased awareness, you can begin catching yourself before the words come out of your mouth. And with even more awareness and diligence, you can retrain your brain to lead with thoughts that plant seeds of possibility and empower love and compassion in yourself, our children, and in the world.

 

(c) 2009 Laurie Cameron. All rights in all media reserved

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NOTE: you have my permission to share or reprint this article, as long as you include the following byline at the end of it:

 

 

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