Upcoming Wise Walking Retreats:
Join Wayfinder Coach Robin for a Wise Walking Mini-Retreat Saturday, March 3rd, 9am-11:30am in Rock Creek Park.
Details at www.wayfinderinc.com

The Present is Perfect
My best friend always told me: "There are two types of people in the world: motorboats and sailboats. The motorboat people are always in hurry to get to the destination and the sailboat people just enjoy the ride." Me, I am a motorboat person striving to be more like a sailboat. Since I was a little girl the work ethic was drilled into me that I could always do more. So I grew up taking on more like walking the dog, going grocery shopping every week and cooking dinner every night even as early as the third grade. As I got older, I was always the organizer, the nurturer, the responsible one, the den mother. My brand became someone who is highly organized and has a high threshold for stress. My motorboat tendencies made me very successful, so much that I believed I could do anything. But life is about learning. I have learned more about myself since becoming a mom than I ever learned before. When we brought our first son, Marat, home it was an adjustment, but after a few months I had it down. I could schedule conference calls, take a shower, do laundry and check my email during his ritual naps from 10-12 and 2-4. My brand was intact. But life took an unexpected turn with baby number two, Shokhan. He is a different child. He does not like a schedule – sometimes he sleeps in the morning, sometimes he doesn't and getting him to sleep for an afternoon nap is practically impossible unless I am driving in the car.

Why am I telling you this? Because I have a learned an important lesson – I cannot do everything by myself. Right after we came home from adopting Shokhan in Kazakhstan we decided to move. Like a good motorboat I got as much organized as I could, but it almost killed me – no sleep at night with a crying baby up every two hours and trying to pack boxes while strapping Shokhan to my chest in a baby carrier. I thought I could do it all – adopt a baby, move to a new house, maintain my coaching business, exercise every day and keep the house really neat. I was beating myself up of why could I not do this? I did it before. I have moved at least 15 times in my life, across oceans and continents.

The difference is now I have kids and the present moment is the most important – if they are hungry they need to be fed, if Shokhan has a dirty diaper it needs to be changed, if Marat wants to play soccer, I do not have the heart to say no. So I am changing. My motorboat is getting a mast and I have started working on the sails and I realize I need a crew to help me. I also realize that the present is perfect. Yes, there are still boxes left to unpack and who knows where my hiking boots and leather pants are but I see two smiling faces at me every day. My brand, or more importantly, my idea of perfection is changing. I have the power to decide what is perfect and what needs to be accomplished in a day. When I set my expectation as "enjoying my kids" I meet it every day. And when I really need help I ask for it. So I am smiling now instead of beating myself up and I hope you are smiling now too, thinking about what you could do to reorient your idea of perfection and accomplishment. How is the present perfect for you? Who can you rely on for help? And, are you a motorboat or a sailboat? Either way, make sure to enjoy the ride.

	Wayfinder Coach, Robin F. Schepper, leads Wise Walking Retreats and is a personal coach to individuals and groups. After 20 years of helping non-profits, politicians, and world sports organziations with their communications strategies, Robin now helps individuals acheive the results they want.
Photo by Marat Washburn

“Wherever you are is always the right place. There is never a need to fix anything, to hitch up the bootstraps of the soul and start at some higher place. Start right where you are.”
– Julia Cameron

Book of the Month
“The Artists Way”
– Julia Cameron

New telephone number:
202-248-8001
New address:
2840 Chesapeake St. NW
Washington, DC 20008
Updated website:
www.wayfinderinc.com
Note: My business grows from your referrals.
Thank you.

Back to newsletter index