I have certain parameters for what is truth for me. When I hear something new, something that may stretch me a bit, I put it through my "truth sieve." I have to sift through it to make sure it is true for me.

My desire is to be open to new ideas but still to stay within the boundaries of what is true for me. As a coach, how do I find a balance between being open to new ideas and not crossing over into what is not true for me?

What a great question. Here's one way to stay in balance. Since you're a coach it should be a good fit for you. Listen to whatever is said with your 'coaching ears' on. What I mean by that is to listen to try on what you hear. To truly try it on to see what you can learn that will in some way enhance your life. This is a combination of keeping a 'beginners mind' of openness while also listening for those 'nugget of gold' insights that can contribute in some way to your life.

If you think of each conversation you're in as a mound of dirt that has been 'seeded' with nuggets of gold insights, then your job is to sift through the dirt until you uncover the gold. Whatever doesn't fit for you, simply let it go, and don't get stuck with it. One easy way to get stuck with something that someone says it to realize it doesn't match for you, so you end up making the person wrong and discounting everything they say. When you do that, you're no longer listening with your 'coaching ears' on.

Now, here's a coaching assignment to take these insights and put them in action:

Pick 3 conversations this week and listen to them with your 'coaching ears' on. At the end of the conversation, write down at least one insight you gleaned from it. From this list of insights from the various conversations pick at least one insight and take some action that will help you integrate the insight into your life.

2005 Brad Swift of Life On Purpose Institute, Inc. This article can be reprinted freely online, as long as the entire article and this resource box are included.

Brad Swift

As a writer, I've written well over 300 magazine articles for a diverse assortment of magazines including Omni, Entrepreneur, New Age Journal, Yoga Journal, Utne Reader, Unity Magazine, Better Homes and Garden, Modern Maturity, and many others. I'm also a regular contributor to Veterinary Economics. (Yes, I still have a special place in my heart for animals.) My books include, WINNING THROUGH COACHING: Building Your Business Through Building Your Team and TRAVELING THE PURPOSEFUL PATH ? 6 Passages to an Inspired Life on Purpose.

As a public speaker, I lead programs on life purpose that are customized to fit such diverse groups as churches, spiritual centers, civic and professional organizations. The principles of these programs are also available in the 12-week teleclass, Living the Fulfilled Life. From these programs participants bring more focus to their life, experience a renewed sense of fulfillment, and lighten up and have more fun. Out of this focus, fulfillment, and fun emerges an ability to maintain balance in their life and a deeper appreciation for living.

One of my all time favorite ways of expressing my purpose is as a life purpose coach. I find the intimacy and creativity of one-on-one coaching to be a breathtaking experience. The select group of people who are my clients are very special to me, and with them I am constantly creating new facets of life purpose coaching that are then incorpoated into the other programs.

In short, the focus of my life is life purpose. From living on purpose, I've been blessed with an extraordinary life in which I am satisfied and fulfilled. My wife, Ann, and I share our redwood chalet home in the "Paradise Found" of the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina with our daughter, Amber, and a menagerie of purposeful and playful pets.