Revolutionary Balance

I lay my head on my pillow at night and marvel at idea I am traveling on surface of earth at somewhere near speed of sound. While spinning at this speed, I marvel that I am also rocketing through space at more than 66,000 miles per hour. I think of fondness with which evolution is studied and taught, knowing I live not in a strictly evolutionary system, but one at same time, revolutionary.

If we look at a 6,000 year Age of Man from Adam to now, we can safely say first two thirds of age, or 4,000 years, were indeed evolutionary. Incremental social and cultural changes provided stability and small expectations. When Jesus walked earth in flesh, we transitioned from evolutionary change to revolutionary change - by design. Species now go extinct without any further traces of evolution. To become extinct must seem revolutionary to those who do. Try to imagine your own family as last of its kind.

Those born about 25 years either side of 1900 know nothing but revolution. They have seen more change than all generations preceding them. Many survived to be old and see grandchildren and great - grandchildren. Stability and balance flew out their windows. Expectations were raised so high as to dwarf those of earlier generations. Events exceeded those expectations enough to be frightening and disorienting. These folks are a testimony to flexibility and adaptability of human spirit. While I am speaking of people in Western cultures, same is becoming very true at a faster pace in other parts of globe. They too will adapt.

I’m an EQ Coach. I help people increase their EQ, i.e., those factors that make us happy and successful that don’t pertain to cognition and IQ. Many of my clients don’t come to me specifically for EQ coaching. Let’s just call it a “value-added extra” in my coaching mix.

Emotional intelligence means self-awareness; being in touch with your own feelings. Then managing your own emotions and those of others and using your emotions to make good decisions. It involves such competencies such as creativity, intuition, flexibility, social skills, leadership ability.

I was reading an recently by Mark Henricks, called “Some People Aren’t In It for Money.” (http://www.powerhomebiz.com/column/mark/forthemoney.htm ). He talks about people who’ve already made their fortunes, but keep on working. They turn around and are just as successful in new endeavors.

Mark writes: “According to Herbert E. Brown, executive director of Massey Center for Business & Innovation & Development at Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh, ‘Research indicates that for only one in 10 it’s about money anyway....That isn’t deep-seated motivation.’”

Most of my clients aren’t millionaires like people in Mr. Henricks’ article. They’re mostly regular people to whom you can perhaps more readily relate. Most of them are midlife transition folks who have explored what money can buy: beyond point of basic needs, not much. I have advantage of talking daily with people who are retiring, and creating next stage of their life. What do they know that we don’t know? (Names and details changed for anonymity.)

· Tom is retiring from 30 years working for government. He tells me he hated job, and now he wants to do something meaningful and more challenging. He’s off on a grand adventure of discovering his innate talents, and finding his passion. He could care less how much money he makes this year.

· Betty has worked for about that same length of time in a profession she also didn’t like, but it paid bills. She asked me if I thought she’d be crazy if she went back to school fulltime, starting all over again ‘at her age’ in a field that really appealed to her. “Crazy?” I said. No, I think you’re going sane.”