Facing Monsters

There are Monsters lurking everywhere. It is important to Face Our Monsters. Not facing them is often why we lose our center. Some reside within us, others are at work, some may be at home, and others are in our social network.

Someone told me he had to look at his Monster every time he dialed into the endless Zoom calls at work. He finally started to cover his Monster’s face with a sticky note on his computer screen so he didn’t have to look at him. The weird thing is, he said, prior to WFH being mandatory due to Covid, the Monster was completely absent, but since Covid, the Monster was having three mandatory meetings a week.

He quit his job to escape his Monster. The Monster won.

Facing Monsters Is Required to Reclaim Your Center

Speaking to one of the experts in the course Reclaim Your Center, this Monster triggered the Flight or Fight response. There is a more effective way to respond to Monsters.

My Ever Present Monsters

My experience with Monsters started early. I was horribly afraid of the dark. When I was put to bed, I was certain there were Monsters under the bed, in the closet, and outside my window. I was sure if I put my foot off the side of the bed a Monster would grab it, if the closet door was open just a smidge, I would stare at it fearful that I would see a Monster’s eye - looking at me. I would be frozen with fear, trying to get the courage to run over and close the closet tight. But how could I? The Monster under the bed will grab my leg and pull me under! And then there were the Monsters outside the window.

And the person who should be there to protect me wasn’t home. Mom was out with her friends at the bar.

These all became triggers as I began to face Monsters at work as an adult. When faced with Monsters with Positional Power who would behave badly. Through subtle or not-so-subtle threats, or placed in organizations with toxic cultures, I would suddenly be that 3-year-old defenseless child.

Managing Monsters

First, you have to recognize the Monsters. Naming Monsters is the first step in taking their power away. Understanding they are what they are enables you to understand what and who you are dealing with. Unmasking Monsters, unveils them to be insecure bullies.

Once I learned skills to recognize Monsters, heighten Self-Awareness, and train my brain to take action to quiet the noise they enjoy making, I began to go on the offense against the Monsters.

I face Monsters constantly in the work that I do. I utilize tools to help. I have come to realize that in every engagement, there is an element of Monster work whether it be coaching, organization culture, collaboration, leadership effectiveness - the list goes on. It is foundational.

Taking Back Your Power

In no way am I marginalizing the harm Monsters in their various forms have on us, the work it takes to face Monsters or the work it takes to quiet the Monsters - it does take effort.

Facing Monsters is easy to ignore. After all, Monsters are scary.

To not face them is to allow yourself to be victimized.

The gift I have been given in working with

·         an expert in Whole-Person Care,

·         a Psychologist and Psychotherapist, and

·         a multi-disciplined expert in spirituality, counseling, and coaching, is this

you can train your brain to combat Monsters as one part in Reclaiming Your Center.

With discipline, Monsters begin to

fade away.