Last week we held the Passion Test for Business , Level II, Consultant & Trainer certification course in Delray Beach, Florida with participants from New Zealand, Israel, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, Belgium and USA.
Our Business Consultants learned how to develop passion-based business strategies and help entrepreneurs and companies develop their Unique Contribution – what sets a business apart from others.
At the conference center, I experienced indoor and outdoor labyrinths and I found it to be a wonderful experience.
A Path to the Center
Labyrinths are one of the oldest contemplative tools. The design is an ancient pattern, found in many cultures across the globe, which helps us journey to our center on a circular path.
The enclosed path has “only one route that winds in toward a center point where it makes a decisive turn to wander out again. Unlike a maze, there are no tricks or dead ends in a labyrinth. Based on the circle, the universal symbol of unity and wholeness. The labyrinth is a path and spiritual tool for growth, discernment, meditation and healing.” (www.duncancenter.org)
Walking a labyrinth is a journey with a clear destination and the repetition of steps and the simplicity of the path are calming. We do not need to make decisions, for there are no crossroads within a labyrinth.
In addition to its centering effect, walking the labyrinth puts us in touch with the wisdom of our bodies and allows us to slow down and become more aware of everything surrounding the path, such as nature, the sky, the air, and the smell of the earth and sea.
Interesting information can be found about labyrinths in the ancient history: “The labyrinth, then, may have served to help one find their spiritual path by purposefully removing one from the common understanding of linear time and direction between two points. As one traveled through the labyrinth, one would become increasingly lost in reference to the world outside and, possibly, would unexpectedly discover one’s true path in life. The theme of the labyrinth leading to one’s destiny is most clearly illustrated in one of the best-known stories from Greek mythology: Theseus and the Minotaur.” (https://www.ancient.eu/Labyrinth)
A Metaphor
A labyrinth is also a powerful metaphor. Think about it like this: labyrinths start at the beginning of our life and career. We think we are walking into a garden and everything will be linear and there will be a straight line to success. But the labyrinth begins to form with winding roads and challenges that are wide-ranging and frequent.
In the labyrinth, as in life, we are looking for a solution as we are walking the circuitous path to the center. When we encounter the twists and turns, the labyrinth metaphor suggests to stay with it to reach the center. And many get to the center, where their life and career goals reside.
Ulrike Berzau, Executive Coach & Consultant, works with individuals, teams and organization to achieve exceptional results in life and business. With extensive experience as healthcare executive, she is known for providing highly respected insights and creative solutions to secure continuous advancement and excellence. Ulrike has an unwavering passion for igniting the talent and brilliance in others and her international and multicultural experiences allow her to relate to a diverse audience. Her ambitious, yet well balanced, positive and inspiring mindset is the catalyst of her own success and assures the success of clients, staff and organizations.
Ulrike is the co-author of the International Best-Seller Imagine a Healthy You and an inspirational speaker. She is certified as Thinking into Results Consultant, Passion Test Facilitator, ASAP Engagement Consultant and Achieve Today Coach, and holds a Master’s Degree in Management, a Master’s Degree in Health Science, Physical Therapy, and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.