Taryn Laakso: Righting Your Ship Before You Capsize

The Co-Active Leadership Program I am in has given me a wonderful “tribe” of 17 new friends. Taryn Laakso one of these impressive new friends. She appeared on this blog before with “Recognizing Opportunity: The Case of the Golden Raspberries.” Here is another guest post playing off of her love of sailing. Taryn ends with a pitch for Co-Active coaching. (You can see my pitch for Co-Active coaching here: “Co-Active Coaching as a Tool for Maximizing Utility—Getting Where You Want in Life.”) Here is Taryn:

The seas out in the world right now feel choppy with gusts of high winds and a heavy fog of information making it hard to navigate through it. Being faced with so much information in the news and social media, it is hard to not feel like our boats are about to capsize. And maybe a few of the boats out there need to tip over but many more need to be righted.

It's spurred curiosity in me to know how balanced the keel of your life feels right now.  I was starting to feel my keel heel to the left last week and I was at risk of capsizing. I wanted to find a sheltered cove, drop anchor, and hunker down out of the storm which I knew wasn't going to help anyone!

Instead, I wondered if I took down some sail area and slowed down, would it help get my boat re-centered? If I got my keel balanced by being in right relationship with myself first, could I continue forward on my journey, so I can step forward supporting causes that make social and systematic changes in our world? Being in the right relationship with myself means that I know my values, my purpose and that allows me to make decisions that are in alignment with my core beliefs. I was righting my ship. How did I do this? 

This may feel counter-intuitive to what is being publicized right now, but I knew I needed to retreat a bit so I could have the energy to read, learn, engage in conversations, and study causes that can support long term changes in our world that will bring balance to many more people's boats. I did this by resting, talking, walking, and dancing through my feelings.

How are you taking care of yourself so you can continue supporting what you are passionate about without the risk of your boat heeling over? Which one below describes how you are feeling right now? 

  1. My boat is about to heel over

  2. My boat is listing a bit to the left

  3. The keel is balanced and I feel energized 

If you are in the 3rd bucket, please share with me how you are keeping yourself balanced and energized! Share your wisdom so I can share it with others. On the other hand, if you are in either of the first two situations, would you like to explore how to balance your keel so that you can continue moving forward without capsizing? 

I invite you to spend some time with me and we'll explore what is causing you to feel unbalanced and how you can support what matters to you! That could be social issues, your family, your team, or yourself.  

Click here to find time on my calendar.  You don't need to navigate this on your own. I've got you.   

Wishing you smooth sailing,

Taryn Laakso, CPCC | ACC
Leadership & Life Coach
www.unlaakingyourpotential.com
(206) 310-9409