"We have what we seek, it is there all the time, and if we give it time, it will make itself known to us."
Thomas Merton

As I sit down to write in this new year, I realize that my readership is changing and growing, and this is at least one of the challenges with which I have been grappling. Two distinct shifts are taking place in my business which attracts a different clientele for me to serve.

One shift is connected to my participation in a National program with HeartMath®. With this project, I am instructing and coaching professional staff, mostly ministers, from a large religious denomination. I have the privilege of introducing these assiduous individuals to the HeartMath system and guiding them to achieve their goals, champion their emotional realm, and utilize the intelligence of their heart. I notice in my work with each of them that I am calling forth a quieter Lindsay. There's something about working with clergy that beckons me to come in subtly. Although my role is to lead them through this profound method of self-discovery and emotional mastery, there lingers in me a pull to follow, which is understandable within the context of religious leaders. It's an interesting dichotomy though, precisely because these clients express how much they feel the pressure of expectation from their congregate—an expectation that permeates the entire organization, touching all staff who work in the church, regardless of their title. There is a ribbon of shared aims among them to get out from under the pressure (real or imagined) of being perfectly responsive to any and all the needs of the community whether it comes from members of the parish or from other staff. To them, the pressure feels real, and it translates into various forms of demand to do the impossible. Our work together helps them rekindle the fire of their wiser selves that guides them to perform well, and also set limits, without guilt or the fear of generating disappointment in others. No matter what our professional path, we sometimes need reminders to call up the simplicity of spirit that keeps us real. We profit by remembering what truly matters in our deepest heart, so that we may come back to an inner quiet that finds compassion for ourselves as we make our way through.

The other shift in my business focus is towards more clientele within the health care system. Although this is a field near and dear to my heart and I've kept a part of me immersed or at least on the edges of it throughout my career, living inside it once again, I'm amazed at both the changes and the constant that remains. The changes reflect the same kinds of trials we see in many industries: much more advanced technology; huge numbers of uninsured and underinsured patients; fierce competition for a smaller pool of money which creates jealousy and a tenor of conflict within the system—all of this adding to the constancy of high stress within the work place. While there is an ongoing need and usefulness for training and review for the professional staff, the men and women in this diverse field also need one-on-one support to continue to thrive in such a demanding environment. I am primarily guided to coach and support the top performers—those talented, selfless individuals who lead in their own right, show up regularly, and generate action to streamline and enhance the work flow. Organizations recognize that providing performance coaching to these individuals affords benefit to the individual and to the whole of healthcare. These clients each choose goals that both address the untangling of emotional knots in their collegial relationships and the advancement of programs or procedures that bring greater efficiency and effectiveness to the environment in which they work.

Reflecting on my work this last year, I realize that no matter how advanced we become in our fields, we must continue to accept our humanity. With acceptance, we notice and even embrace the need for support in clarifying the brilliant and not-so-brilliant thoughts that permeate our consciousness. Having someone listen and reflect back can make the difference between living in turmoil, and living a life of contribution in which you ably set limits thereby producing a life of balance and fullness.