Author Archives: samantha chesler

Courage

Courage, oh you brave lion heart. Where would we be without it? Where could we be with it? A common coaching question is: What would you do if you had no fear? Easy to ask, hard to imagine. The idea, of course, is that you will see that it is only fear that gets inContinue reading “Courage”

Chasing Awe

A few weeks ago I wrote about our complex relationship with time. I wrote about how we are rushing, running and scrolling through our days and often resisting the discomfort of just sitting with the unease, the quiet, and the often too-slow track of long days. Today I want to continue that discussion but thisContinue reading “Chasing Awe”

Hard talk: Preparing for challenging conversations

My clients often tell me that they have a challenging relationship with someone they work with, or that they struggle to have challenging conversations. It comes up time and time again and I have been mulling over the conundrum of having to communicate but fearing it, having to work with someone but not knowing howContinue reading “Hard talk: Preparing for challenging conversations”

Our complex relationship with time

Dr. Susan David has said, many times, that growth only happens with discomfort. So being uncomfortable is the breeding ground for change. I have been thinking about this concept a lot recently as I have been sitting with my own discomfort in this strange period of transition. Last December I left my full time job,Continue reading “Our complex relationship with time”

Change

Two things can be true at the same time. You can feel sad and excited, you can grieve and feel relief, you can love two people, you can wish the best for a person and mourn their leaving, you can feel alone and married, you can be scared and over-the-moon-can’t- wait-excited. Many things can beContinue reading “Change”

My word of the year

I have just returned from a month off. My heart is filled with gratitude and love that I got to spend quality time with my family in a beautiful place after such a long and painful time apart. I completely switched off. I hardly read, which, after reading 34 books this year, is unusual forContinue reading “My word of the year”

Lessons from photography

All that happens to us, including our humiliations, our misfortunes, our embarrassment, all is given to us as raw material, as clay so that we may shape our art. Jorge Luis Borges It is with my camera that I see and capture the world. With my camera I beat time, freeze the present, preserve theContinue reading “Lessons from photography”

Can you recommend a book please?

Often people ask me for my ‘must read ‘list of books. This is by no means exhaustive and I might add or delete titles as I read throughout the year, but this is a good list for today. And a fine place to start. The Goldfinch and A secret History by Donna Tartt A GentlemanContinue reading “Can you recommend a book please?”

Motivation

I am goal orientated. I love to stand at the bottom of the mountain, look up and start to climb. It is hard to get going and I might procrastinate for weeks or even months until I take the first step, knowing that when I do so I won’t stop until I am done. AndContinue reading “Motivation”