Why this interview series?
Because, trusting myself has been my ongoing challenge for as long as I can remember and I know I’m not alone in this.
When we don’t trust ourselves we go against ourselves so much that we can kill our spark.
Do you notice how we stay can stuck and unhappy in organisations and in relationships? Is it that we hand over our power because we don’t trust themselves enough to either stand for ourselves or to leave and carve out a different future?
Consider too how not trusting ourselves affects the choices we make for ourselves and for others (if we are in a position of authority).
Look at the world around you. Are you happy with decisions that are made by elected and unelected leaders? Is it time to stop blaming leaders and start leading ourselves?
What would it take to bring new insights to what it is to trust and what we’re trusting? It starts with you and me and with trusting ourselves.
How do we know when we can trust ourselves? This is what the series is exploring.
What prompted the topic of self-trust?
Three events, the first one in 1999, set the seeds for the core of the work I do with clients and for interview series, though I didn’t know it back then.
“You’re super self-disciplined because you don’t trust yourself!”
My first coach challenged me with that in 1999. It was true! She hit home. There are many stories of times when I trusted myself and when I didn’t. At some stage I will write one of them and post it here.
“Ann Kelly’s specialist skills are aimed at helping people to
trust themselves, to honour who they are and create a life in
which they thrive.”
This was from my second coach in 2001. She managed to capture the essence of the work that I do with clients. Note that ‘self-trust’ is the theme again.
“Trust yourself. Trust life! Bloom where you are planted.
Start to fly trusting your own wings.”
Trust life! That blew me away because it hadn’t occurred to me in the first place. Another revelation! While I was busy learning to trust myself I hadn’t realised I didn’t trust life. Anne was my spiritual teacher in 2003 and for many years after that. She is one of the interviewees featured in the series.
These 3 events continue to influence me. The more I live and learn the more I am convinced that it’s vital to trust ourselves more than we do now and to know when we can trust ourselves.
How did you get started on the interviews?
Bill Fox came into my world two years ago through online programmes we were participating in. Bill created the inspiring and successful interview series ‘5 Minutes to Process Improvement’. His approach and his way of being in the world have inspired me to create my own series. During a conversation to elicit his template for the series, one word borrowed another and Bill volunteered to be my first interviewee to answer the question. “How do you know when you can trust yourself?”
How many people do you intend to interview?
As many people as I’m inspired to as long as the interviews are life enhancing.
What is the series aiming to achieve?
- To find out what new insights emerge from the interviews.
- That the wisdom in them ignites people to trust themselves more and more
- That it makes a positive, tangible difference to them and the world they live in
- That the series be a positive influence on our world.
Now my question to you is: “What is your response to the following questions? “
- Do you trust yourself?
- How do you know?
- Do you ever trust others more than you trust myself?
- How do you know when you can trust yourself?
- Do you trust life?
- How do you know you can trust life?
If the questions have sparked your curiosity or your interest to know more you may like to read the interviews. More interviews will be added over time. I’m sure I’ll improve as an interviewee too.
Thank you.
