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Breaking Through!

In one of the issues of our Customer Care Coach®, I tell the story about the first time I ever broke through a wooden board with my bare hand (think martial artist doing a karate chop). It's a technique sometimes used in workshops to help people break through blocks, fears and limiting beliefs. Think about a time when you were so focused on a goal that you could see it, feel it, touch it, taste it, and hear it. Emotion fuels our dreams (as well as making for better customer experiences).

In one of the issues of our Customer Care Coach®, I tell the story about the first time I ever broke through a wooden board with my bare hand (think martial artist doing a karate chop). It's a technique sometimes used in workshops to help people break through blocks, fears and limiting beliefs. This last weekend I had the opportunity not only to break another board and through some of my own limitations, but also to witness Tracey, our Editor and my good friend, experience it for the first time herself.

The board breaking took place at the end of a weekend workshop led by Dan Millman, the author of the books The Way of the Peaceful Warrior and Body Mind Mastery among others. Dan teaches how to walk your path with both courage and love. Tracey and I were there to deepen our understanding of how to be more present in relationship with ourselves, and others. Dan gives practical, down to earth advice for living life with intention and purpose. We really like his message.

So here it was, the end of a weekend workshop and Dan announced that we would end our time together by breaking wooden boards. There was an audible "gasp" in the group as people went through the mental anguish of imaging the feat. After some brief instruction Dan asked who would go first. Tracey said "I will." Afterwards she told me her decision wasn't a function of desire, but rather one of pressure, as she happened to be sitting near where the line began to form. For her, that action alone was a bold, courageous move. I was feeling proud of her as she stood brave when so many others hesitated, me included.

Breaking a board is a metaphor. The wooden boards had been distributed during the instruction and on our board we each wrote something we intended to break through. That could be an obstacle appearing between us and our goal, a fear that was holding us back from success, or some belief that limited our ability to get to where we wanted to be.

Each in turn we were to place our board, representing our obstacle, across two concrete cinder blocks. After taking the kneeling position as Dan instructed, we were to break through the board with the heel of our hand. After making sure we had the correct physical position, the hard work of focusing the mind began.

The trick to breaking boards is to see through the board to the floor. In your mind's eye you envision the goal you will achieve that's on the other side of the obstacle.

Tracey had her form perfectly, she practiced connecting the heel of her hand on the center of the board, she took a deep breath and went for it. THUNK.

She made contact with the board but her hand did not break through with the satisfying crack she'd heard when Dan demonstrated the way it was supposed to work. Immediately Dan diagnosed the problem. She was thinking of the board, not PAST the board or through the board. To the end of the line she went which gave her the time to think about how to do it differently the next time.

Meanwhile my turn was fast approaching and I quickly learned from her mistake. I grabbed a piece of paper and wrote my goal on it (a big hairy audacious one) in big red letters. When my turn came I first put the paper with my goal on the floor between the cinder blocks and then placed the board across the top. I took the position, focused clearly on my goal and with ease whacked that board in two. Yahoo! It felt great! Triumphant! Proud!

After my victory, I walked back to where Tracey was waiting. By the time I reached her she had already had a clear, passion fueled vision for what waited for her on the other side of the board on her next and final try.

She approached the opportunity to try again with a completely different focus, and a determination to succeed. This time, she assumed the correct physical position and went immediately to the work of splitting that board in half. Crack! No practice swings necessary this time - she had mentally rehearsed her success and cut through the board "like butter." Her victory was sweet! She has the good experience of learning from her mistake, correcting it and discovering success. WOW! By the time she got back up to take her turn there was a cheering section waiting for her and they all exploded into applause when she conquered her obstacle.

It was a great moment to share with her and one we wanted to share with you.

We're all on this journey together. When we have the kind of support that helps us look past and through the obstacles, we have a clear shot at our goals. We all need 'cheerleading' sections in our lives. Let people know when you need their support. Even your boss, your spouse and your best friend. When you are clear about what you need, it opens the dialog for both parties to express their expectations. When two people are clear together about the picture of a situation there are rarely unpleasant surprises, and often the opportunity to co-create a picture that meets both their needs. Ahh. The win/win. You know that makes me happy.

Think about a time when you were so focused on a goal, had a vision that was so clear you could see it, feel it, touch it, taste it and hear it. Got that time in mind?

Did you get what you wanted? Did that multidimensional picture get you closer to or past your goal? If you held the picture and backed it up with emotion I'll bet you met or exceeded your goal! Emotion fuels our dreams (as well as making for better customer experiences).

When Tracey and I put some emotion (e-nergy in motion) around our 'picture' of success, we cut through board "like butter." (It's okay to imagine me when I still had my somewhat prominent NY accent and say it like this "Butta, like butta.")

What's stopping you from getting to your goal? It really doesn't matter. Make that goal so big, so loud, so bright and so real that it gets your blood pumping and your heart singing and it's all over but the cheering! Yahooooooooooooooooo!

JoAnna Brandi is Publisher of the Customer Care Coach® a weekly training program on mastering "The Art and Science of Exquisite Customer Care." She is the author of books such as "Winning at Customer Retention - 101 Ways to Keep 'em Happy, Keep 'em Loyal, and Keep 'em Coming Back" and "Building Customer Loyalty - 21 Essential Elements in ACTION."

A Speaker and consultant, she is publisher of the bi-weekly Customer Care Tips Bulletin. To receive her free bi-weekly tips bulletin, sign up at www.returnonhappiness.com. You can also reach JoAnna at 561-279-0027 or e-mail joanna@customercarecoach.com.