The Ticket

What ticket are you holding? Was it passed along to you by a parent or teacher? Or did you grab it from a stack of generic options as you busily wandered by? Or – is the ticket unique to you – handpicked to open the doors to an adventure only you can fulfill?

Last weekend, health, wellness & high-performance coaches came together from across the country for the 6th annual Rocky Mountain Coaching Retreat & Symposium in Estes Park, Colorado. Majestic beauty all around, high-end lineup of speakers, sharpening the saw with other coaches, and a question: What ticket are you holding?

The Friday night Mountaintop Mindset kickoff walked us through the process of identifying “What’s NEXT” in our lives. Beginning with our Narrative (identifying the story we’re telling ourselves – about ourselves)… then onto Existence (how we see the world and our role within that world)… the process of Xploration (dipping our toes into previously untapped opportunities and challenges)… and finally Tactics (practical strategies). At that point, we all received a ticket – an entry pass – a voucher for the show in which we play the lead.

But wait – the ticket doesn’t identify the show! That line is blank – as are the details about the event. Those are left for us to have the courage to identify and complete… and then add our own name at the bottom as the lead actor.

While you may have missed the retreat, you too hold a similar ticket as the coaches in attendance. We are all handed such a ticket – and we choose the doors through which the ticket provides entrance. Friedrich Nietzsche placed courage in opposition to the mediocrity and decadence of life he saw coming in the 1900’s in which courage is the self which surpasses itself. Cowardice, in contrast, does not dare to risk itself. It is content leaving the ticket behind. Paul Tillich expands upon this concept, noting our vitality (the depth and richness of life) is as great as our intentionality. This refusal to settle for the generic ticket sitting on the table allows us to create beyond ourselves without losing ourselves.

Am I settling for mediocrity or intentionally stepping into a life of vitality? Note – vitality does NOT mean everything goes our way. Rather – it involves fully living, engaging in the challenges ahead, and purposefully refusing to passively accept the ticket selected by others and left for us at will call.

It’s our ticket…our choice…our life.

“Ticket please”