What We Stand For...
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Presence programs are guided by a clear set of values that are essential to offering services that support growth, healing and transformation. When I begin working with a new person, group or organization I always ask, "what do you stand for?" This question and the exploration of what you stand for will become your compass through this curious and creative process.
Presence values represent two areas of growth: |
Personal and Relational...each containing important aspects of the other. In our personal growth I value cultivating vision, compassion, acceptance, courage and vulnerability, and the willingness to really show up for our present moment experience. In our relational growth I value making all Presence programs accessible and relatable. I strive to exemplify service and generosity, integrity and honesty, and to fully embody the values of interrelationship, which acknowledges the connection between self, community and all of humanity.
Vision
Setting our sights or setting an intention - holding a vision of what is to come and also holding the truth of where we are... Vision means trusting in the process of your own growth and having faith in what is possible.
Compassion
Compassion means caring, deeply for who, what and where you are. It means having patience and care for your process of growth which includes our fears, our suffering, and understanding we are human. Compassion means being present with our suffering, with kindness and acceptance.
Acceptance
Acceptance is naturally built on compassion... the more we have compassion for who we are or what we have experienced in life, the more we are able to accept ourselves as we are. Acceptance does not mean getting over who we are so we can finally accept ourselves... it means accepting ourselves in spite of, and in some cases because of, who we are, so THEN we can move forward toward our vision.
Courage & Vulnerability
It takes courage to be vulnerable, and being vulnerable is courageous. By being willing to be vulnerable, by opening fully to what is there, by being present with what arises in this process of discovery, no matter what it is, we grow, and we grow wildly and beautifully. By courageously opening to the soft tenderness within we become powerful women of Presence!
Showing Up for life
All of the above are the core ingredients of showing up for life, and for our present moment experience. Showing up means setting our sights, having compassion, accepting things as they are. being courageous and vulnerable and being willing to fully occupy the ground you stand on. I think of it as living life on life's terms, and doing so bravely!
RELATABILITY
For Presence programs and offerings to be of service in any way, they have to be relatable, and relevant to the lives of those I serve. To be relatable is to relate, which is to be in relationship... to be in relationship with things as they are, the reality of the present moment, or just being able to relate to what is happening in my clients lives, so they can begin to relate to their own experience in new and deeper ways. As I said in my bio (take a look if you haven't yet), I let myself be impacted by the people I serve, as a way of establishing a sense of relationship, and it is in that relationship, that showing up for what is true in each moment, that the growth happens and the heart opens.
ACCESSIBILITY
I think of accessibility as two things: First, I strive to make all Presence programs accessible to all women from all walks of life, especially women who are often excluded from these kinds of growth opportunities due to such things as economic impairment, social injustice or living in the cultural margins. To make Presence programs accessible to such women, I have started the Sustaining Women's Spirit Fund, to support women who are typically underrepresented or excluded from healing and wellness opportunities. Second, accessibility is also about relatability. I strive also to make Presence programs as relatable to all women, from all social and cultural backgrounds. That in mind, I too am human, and have lots of room to grow. But as I said, I strive to make these programs accessible, relatable and relevant... as a commitment to that I engage in ongoing diversity training, and developing relationships with women whose lives are different than my own. I practice stepping outside of my own comfort zone, trying on other perspectives, and most importantly, I welcome feedback and ideas from women whose lived experience, values and views might make these programs stronger.
INTEGRITY & HONESTY
Embodying integrity and honesty is at the foundation of all Presence offerings... it is how I build trust with the people I work with... it is how I trust my ability to be of service. I think of this as a key element in Showing Up. The more honest I am with myself about what I am able to offer, about who I am as a woman in the world, the better able I am to be of service to the people I work with. The more honest I am, the more integrity I am able to bring to Presence offerings. My goal is to serve you, and if your needs are better served elsewhere, I will gladly offer you as many recommendations as I can throw your way. Likewise, I will be honest with you in our work together. I will hold you accountable to your commitments, and I will keep mine.
INTERRELATIONSHIP: AWARENESS OF SELF, COMMUNITY, HUMANITY
At the heart of all Presence offerings is this most salient truth: Everything is connected! I love what Elisabeth Bumiller wrote in her book May You Be The Mother Of A Hundred Sons, written about her travels in India... "In the macrocosm of a vast land I find the microcosm of my own experience repeated and affirmed." Not only is the interrelationship between the lived experience of all beings profound, so too is the interrelationship between the seemingly different aspects of our own direct experience. I strive to infuse all Presence offerings with this important awareness of connection between individuals, communities and all humanity. Though it may seem at times we are alone, we are in fact so beautifully tangled in this amazing web of life.
Become a woman of presence!
PRESENCE Mindfulness & Coaching . Nichole Proffitt . [email protected] . 510-612-6211
