Take the Challenge becomes Invitations
For the longest time I would say in sessions, “This week I am going to challenge you to do x, y, or z.” Over time, as I continue to navigate language and our ability to show empathy and caring through language, it became clear that “challenge” needed to exit. Challenge denotes that a person needs to work harder, to attempt something outside of their wheelhouse or comfort zone and that is both not true and not helpful. True change, true shift in framework and belief systems happens when we can make small changes within our comfort zone. Therefore it became necessary to find a new word, and that word became invitation. Invitation denotes an opportunity for something that can be responded to with a yes, a maybe, or a no. You interact with an invitation on your terms (mostly, let’s not argue full semantics here), so if you aren’t feeling up to something I have placed before you, then you simply reply no to the invitation. Invitations are about learning your yes, your no, your it depends, and knowing it’s for you, not for me or any other provider you see.
So join me as I offer up some of my most common invitations over the coming weeks. Check back to see what new invitation might be of interest to you on any given day or week. Remember there is no right or wrong, there is only what you can notice and learn about your reactions to the invitations.