I was reminded recently of the piano metaphor. It’s one I was taught in the first weekend of my coaching training with CTI, and one I may have even shared on the blog many moons ago.
It is something that is powerful to revisit again so I felt called to share it on the blog today.
Essentially, it looks at the idea that a piano is a representation of the full human emotional experience. We are capable of feeling incredible highs, very low lows and everything in between.
The issue is, many of us stay in the middle zone, we stay in the comfortable and pleasant land of the middle keys. It feels scary to wander out away from familiar feelings. Our ‘gremlins’ have us believe we won’t be able to survive feeling extremes.
We avoid trying new things that might not work, or making big decisions, or truly celebrating and accepting acknowledgement and praise. We keep safe.
However, we are built to feel our whole spectrum. And as Dr Brené Brown says ‘only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness do we discover the infinite power of our light.’
In order to really come alive we have to allow ourselves to play all the keys. Of course, self-care practices massively come into play. If we make a decision that feels heart wrenching it’s important to utilise tools that help us feel loved and supported. I’m not suggesting it’s an easy ride.
However, when we get into a practice of feeling our feelings, being with whatever comes up, and trusting that if we feel heavy and low, and allow ourselves that experience, we will feel equipped and enabled to feel our highs too, we open ourselves up to a truly rich experience of life.
So however you are feeling today, allow yourself that experience, play that particular key, and trust that if you venture into the extremes, that that is what life is all about, and that you will be more than ok.
With love as always, Hannah and Team Bird
Photo by Geert Pieters on Unsplash