Recently, due to the present economic situation in the United States I was coaching a young man, who had lost what he considered everything (250 mortgage brokers, a thriving Real Estate business, a girlfriend, etc.). He had been getting coaching from other professional coaches but he could no longer afford to pay for it. I happen to be a member of ITEX, a barter organization and he contacted me.

He was stuck, unable to do much of anything. He knew in his head all the right steps as he had been receiving great coaching advice about what he should do and the action steps he should take. BUT he just couldn’t do anything. Not only did he have fear, he was embarrassed at his situation and about letting so many good folks down.

I told him I would be glad to work with him (coach) but that it would be different from any coaching he had ever received before and that it wasn’t like the people he was used to being coached by. I told him they were all good coaches but the work we would do would be on a deeper level and have a more profound effect on all areas of his life.

At the end of the 3rd session he talking about all the changes that were taking place in his life and how he no longer worried about what action to take and when. He wanted to do the work I did as he said it was the most amazing, the most unique coaching experience he had ever had in his life.

I had given him tools to be able to manage, direct and/or eliminate the charge that comes with all emotions so that he could have freedom of choice as to which emotion to use in any particular situation depending on what his goal or outcome was.  In scriptural terms I taught him how the Holy Spirit speaks to us and what the Holy Spirit is saying and how to actually follow the Holy Spirit, moment by moment, for one’s business and personal life.

I said all that to say the following; at the last coaching session I gave him a new metaphor to explain emotions and how the Holy Spirit uses them…

A useful understanding of emotions is they are gauges or indicators of where one is heading. However, most people experience emotions as a reaction to another person, thus misreading what emotions are attempting to say.

So I asked the young man have you been enjoying this mastery of emotions you have been playing with. And would you like to model something that is designed to teach you how to use your emotions more effectively?

“YEAH!” was his response.

I replied, as you are experiencing, ‘emotional charges are gauges… indicators’ that your body gives you to let you know if you are aligned with who you really are or if you are thinking thoughts that are getting you out of alignment with who you are…

When you get in your car and you are driving down the street, do the gauges on your dashboard indicate or tell you ANYTHING about any of the other cars on the road? Do the gauges on your dashboard indicate whether ANY OTHER car on the road needs gas or oil or water? Do the gauges on your dashboard indicate where any other car on the road should be, do or have? Do they indicate where another car should turn, park or look like? Do they indicate the right color for any other car? Do they indicate how right, wrong, good, bad any other car is on the highway, by-ways or parking lots?

Is there any car the gauges on your dashboard indicate about other than the car they are in?

Well when we think our emotions are telling us if another person is right, wrong, good bad, to fat, to thin, to short, to tall, the wrong color, creed or orientation. Remember emotions are only indicating what’s going on with the engine (Mind/body – thinking/feeling) of the one having the emotions. When we think our emotions are telling us… we are not getting it, we are wrong, we are depressed, we’re stupid, we’re dumb, we’re empty, etc. It can’t be true as emotions are ONLY indicators of the thoughts we have been thinking. Emotions are the gauges, the indicators to inform us to choose a thought that feels a little better, that gives a little bit of relief and then think another thought that gives a little more relief and then again, and again until the gauges indicate full and/or balance.

So you may want to model the gauges of my car or if you prefer model the gauges of your car.

To Your Best,
Doc Houston