You Teach What You Most Need To Learn

If you are a teacher, coach, facilitator or some other person who works closely with people guiding them into and supporting them inside deep places you probably have had that moment where you realized you are getting “worked” or confronted by what your clients or students are working through.

My partner and I met in Austin, Texas at an Authentic Relating event. We played interactive communication “games” that guided us in being more present and connected to ourselves and other people.

Tomorrow we will lead Authentic Relating Games in San Francisco and the topic is Intimacy.

Without getting into the details too much, I have been deeply confronted by intimacy this whole week.

We decided to get connected over Thai food and plan the flow for our games night. We dropped in and share what was alive for us. Two major themes came up around intimacy.

One was the scary first step of going first and taking your “mask” off and showing who your really are to people. That’s intimate and to me less terrifying as before but still scary.

The second is the intimacy that arises when you receive and accept a person in their vulnerability. My partner came up with the example of when you see someone whistling or dancing and they don’t think anyone is looking but then they realize it and in that moment you smile with them and give them a ton of approval. That’s intimate.

So in this challenging and worthwhile place in my relationship where I feel confronted by intimacy, at times unable to take my mask off and struggling to be in approval I’m glad to have a space to explore and be vulnerable with others wanting to practice and do the same.