Unplug and Connect

Sometimes it simply takes courage to be still and unplug from all of our gadgets in order to listen to our souls. When we sense that we are disconnected from our colleagues, our spouse, our kids, ourselves, and even our dog......it is time to UNPLUG AND CONNECT!

We know the headlines in entertainment, politics and sports. We are experts in our industry. Yet we stall and procrastinate getting away to get in touch. We become numb,empty bored and boring. We just need to follow that age-old mantra of Plato and Socrates, "KNOW THYSELF".

My vehicle for coaching disconnected executives is The Great Outdoors. My niche, as The Wilderness Coach, involves my clients first taking a 600 question leadership assessment, called PRO-Development, online. Then we go OUTWARD into the pristine wilderness, INWARD to interpret the amazing results from PRO-Development and Upward to a renewed, inspired professional career trajectory.

We can grow stupid with information overload and our eyes can glaze over with electronic numbness. We love our gadgets: our Blackberry, our iPhone and our laptop. We are innundated with e-mail, voice mail, text messages and even snail mail. We love to "zone-out" watching our modern day gladiators on our new HDTV. We get in a haze of information overload. The very information we are starving for seems to elude us.

The only problem is we are out of touch with our very spirit, our essence, our psyche, our core self, our soul. We are disconnected and out of touch because we are "too busy", but often it is because we are afraid to slow down, stop and listen to our malnourished souls. We are afraid of what we might hear....we are afraid of the truth! Yet, THE TRUTH WILL SET US FREE!

CONNECTION is a beautiful thing! Get outside. Smell the smells. Look up! Check out the mountains, the streams, the waterfalls, the sunrise, the full moon, the stars, the Northern Lights and the wildlife.

Just last month, I trekked on the New Hance Trail with three good friends from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon down to the green, roaring Colorado River. We set up camp in a small grove of trees next to the river, cooked dinner and gazed at the incredible display of stars, planets and the moon. Shooting stars were abundant. We were UNPLUGGED and we CONNECTED!

Frequently, I need to UNPLUG and CONNECT. Gratefullly, I live in Northwest Atlanta near some excellent national parks along the Chattahoochee River and I often get out into the North Georgia Mountains. I have my favorite spot on the Gold Branch Trails along the river. I go by myself. I take my best friend. I walk the dog. I hike, I run, I backpack the Appalachian Trail, I paddle......I LISTEN......I CONNECT.....and you will too! It's simple to UNPLUG AND CONNECT. It's worth it to UNPLUG and CONNECT.