Purchasing Coach: Advent Window 21: The Beach

Happy Solstice
(it amazes me that even between London and Edinburgh
there's 43 minutes difference in daylight today)

25 unconventional coaching and facilitation tools to surprise and delight

Today I headed for the beach here in Burntisland in Scotland - it often features in my posts and vlogs.

I didn't really know how the beach would feature, just that the rising sun was providing a wonderful backdrop to the Edinburgh skyline across the Firth of Forth, and I felt sure something would come to mind.

As I searched for how the beach could act as insight for a situation, I saw some young children picking shells, and wondered what insight the shells could provide.

As I pondered on this, and looked to my right, I realised the image below might reflect a little of how 2017 had felt:

I then set about rearranging the shells to offer a solution.

As I collected some shells, and a little like the drawing behind window 17, my intention of what to do with the shells changed. Making a star had come to mind, and yet this is what I ended up making:

Or perhaps this:

and I did like this image taken from closer to the ground:

A reminder for me to be more focused in the situation I was thinking about perhaps?

Although on reflection, and because I made the arrow pointing at where I was sitting, I wonder if it supports insights from previous posts in this series, to remember how I fit into the bigger picture. Saying yes to everything by default may be the reason the shells in the original image are scattered all about. Being conscious in my Yes & Nos may provide more direction, more focus and more oomph for 2018.

The theme emerging as I write this series isn't a surprise. It's perhaps one downfall of me being the only one providing insight into the posts. It's my subconscious we're tapping into its inner wisdom to obtain insight from. No surprise therefore, that the message/wisdom would have a similar theme. It's my inner wisdom shouting at me to pay attention.

If you don't have a beach or any shells to hand, then this approach would work with Lego bricks, pipe cleaners, stones, leaves, and even flowers. You may even make a sandcastle or even do something with foot or hand prints. Drawing would also tap into our subconscious in the same way.

The aim is to turn your more logical left brain down a little. Which will allow your right, more creative, side to get in on the action. To allow your subconscious to provide guidance to the situation in question.

There's no judgement, no musts, no oughts, nor shoulds, no right, nor wrong, no perfection, Just observing and allowing the solution to emerge. Once you have a metaphorical solution, the aim is to then translate that into action in the real life situation.

Alison Smith
Unlocking procurement potential - using conventional and unconventional tools
Procurement and Business Speaker, Coach, Trainer, & Facilitator
alison@alisonsmith.eu +44 (0)7770 538159

Earlier in the year I applied some of the unconventional tools shared in this series of advent posts to common procurement challenges - more here.