Look Inside the Box

“A beggar had been sitting by the side of a road for over thirty years. One day a stranger walked by. “Spare some change?” mumbled the beggar, mechanically holding out his old baseball cap. “I have nothing to give you,” said the stranger. Then he asked: “What’s that you are sitting on?” “Nothing,” replied the beggar. “Just an old box. I have been sitting on it for as long as I can remember.” “Ever looked inside?” asked the stranger. “No,” said the beggar. “What’s the point? There’s nothing in there.” “Have a look inside,” insisted the stranger. The beggar managed to pry open the lid. With astonishment, disbelief, and elation, he saw that the box was filled with gold.” (Excerpt from Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now)
 
It is fairly safe to say that at some point in your life, you have felt empty inside…as if there was nothing of value there. We have all been there. Some of us have wallowed there like hopeless beggars for far too much of our lives.
 
Today, I share Eckhart Tolle’s parable to help you see that you have been valuable all along. You have had the answers inside of you all along. You are resourced to accomplished your wildest, most passionate dreams, long before you knew you had them. That is the job of a good coach.
 
The best coach cannot choose your path, but they can help you discern it. The most experienced coach cannot give you their confidence, they must teach you how to develop it. The greatest of coaches cannot give you what you are looking for…they can only help you discover it within yourself.
 
The answers lie within you…today…this very hour. You have only to have enough faith to look inside the box.

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