This blog post is going to be different.
Many people wonder why I am so transparent when I interact with my students, and the answer is simple. That is who I am. Becoming a teacher doesn’t mean I need to become someone else; in fact, it has helped me to be true to my path and to myself.
True confession time: This year was a loooonnngggg year. And it is not even over! It doesn’t matter how long you have been practicing these types of techniques, you can still hit that proverbial wall.
I am not sure what it was. I can only describe it as “ho hum.” I felt for the first time in 31 years in this field of NLP that I was running a routine. And that scared me.
Please understand. I wasn’t bored, I wasn’t tired of what I teach, and I did enjoy the connections with my students. Those connections are what kept me going!
What got me to the wall is not important, I was there and I was facing it. Many people would want to analyze and talk about the events leading up to the wall; however, I have always found that to be counterproductive.
I do believe in learning from experiences, and when you are facing the obstacle and the crap hits the fan, that is not the time to say, “How did I get here??” When you hit the wall, deal with the wall. Figure out how you got there later, because when you have conquered the wall, you will have better perspective.
So here I was at the wall, and my goodness, I teach this stuff! I looked at the wall and thought to myself, “There is no spoon….” You know, The Matrix! That’s right, the wall is in my head. So I closed my eyes and when I opened them, the wall was still there.
Ok. I thought, “Well, usually that works. Here goes plan B.” I am going to go over (or around) the wall. Always start with baggage. I checked and checked, and there was no baggage. No anger, sadness, fear or guilt. No limiting decisions. Just the wall.
Ok, next step! I started reframing the “ho hum.” I began to review my goals. I looked inside to make sure I was congruent about NLP, about Huna, about everything! I was! My congruency was in check and my goals were fantastic.
I got done doing an amazing amount of work, and the wall was still there.
“Great!” Next step is action! I teach my students that sometimes the obstacle just needs to be shattered. I think The Doors song says: “Break On Through To The Other Side…” So, here I go. I am going to break this wall and I am going to bring it! Let’s push through. Let’s show the universe that I am congruent!
I brought so much mana (energy) and I hit that wall. I can only describe what happened as a head-on collision. I hit the wall about as hard as one can hit it, and at the end of my onslaught, I hadn’t made a dent. Here I was powering through a training and I was having visions of a car spinning its wheels!
There is a drive in me that says to always imua (Hawaiian for move forward) and for the first time, I was having trouble with this. I truly had to dig deep and find something, yet, I had exhausted all that I know, and I had used every tool in my tool box. (Yes I did more than just what I have typed here. The list would basically be a rundown of everything I teach….)
And after all of that, I was stuck there, facing the wall.
In that moment this summer, I let go. Letting go isn’t giving up. It isn’t quitting. It was just a complete surrender that whatever happens will happen. I had practiced surrender before, and it was one of the things I had done to conquer the wall. This was another level of surrender. This was something deeper.
I can only describe what happened next as a “perfect moment.” A moment where everything was effortless and time stood still. Where I was and what I was doing all melted away, and I was left with that moment where everything just felt right.
We have all had these moments. Some occur in nature, where your surroundings are so amazing that you become lost. I have had experiences like this at the volcano during Huna. Some experience it with another person, where the energy, thoughts, emotions and physical aspects align so much that you are lost in the conversation, or maybe just in the connection. I have had this happen as well.
What was different this time, was that this “moment” was the door through the wall. These moments were easy to experience in the past. I have been experiencing these types of moments all my life. However, this time, the moment was the energy needed to just gently move through the barrier.
I know in my heart and soul that everything happens for a reason. I also know that sometimes you don’t know that reason until you are ready to understand it. With this moment and the energy it brought, I walked through the wall.
The wall didn’t disappear, it didn’t break, and it didn’t get reframed. I can look back and still see it. And I am moving forward with this moment still with me.
Nicholas (an amazing trainer that I work with in our company) said something this weekend that let me know the wall was behind me. He said, “I was worried for a moment, and it is nice to have the old Matt back!”
“Old Matt” meaning the “ho hum” is gone. The wall is gone.
The trainings I have taught since this moment have been effortless and the students have responded at a whole new level. And every day is fantastic!
I am sure there will be other walls, and I look forward to them. Life is about learning, and I learned a valuable lesson this year: Sometimes trust and faith will show you the way. Trust that you are on the right path, and have faith that when the time is right, you will be shown the next step.
Have you ever had a moment where you are shown the path? Take that moment by the hand, because that is your connection and companion for the next part of your path.
Mahalo,
Dr. Matt
Photo credit: Joel Bombardier
