One of the books that has inspired me the most is the trilogy "Conversations with God" by Neale Donald Walsch. I first read it about 15 years ago, and I remember being immediately drawn in. The information in the book resonated with me so powerfully that it felt like coming home, as if the book was describing life and the workings of life as they truly are.

A few years later, Alan Seale's book "Create a World That Works" had a similar impact on me. Both books are grounded in unconditional love, but each in their own way, and they both express the idea that, at its core, there are only two basic emotions: fear and love. They suggest that you have a choice about which one to base your life on in any given situation or, more fundamentally, as your general attitude toward life. This choice—or perspective, you might call it—determines how you show up, the actions you take, and how you experience life.

Last week, I pulled out "Conversations with God" to read it again. With the perspective and understanding I have now, its message resonates even more strongly. What strikes me most is how subtly fear can take control and how many of our daily thought and behavior patterns are actually rooted in fear.

"Fear is the energy that contracts, shuts down, pulls inward, runs away, hides, hoards, and harms. Love is the energy that expands, opens up, sends outward, reveals, shares, and heals." (page 28)

A few years ago, during a workshop led by Alan Seale, I participated in an exercise about the heart chakra. In that moment, I realized in a flash that love and trust are one and the same. My mind couldn't fully grasp it at the time, but my body knew it was true. As is often the case, the body knows first, and the cognitive understanding comes later. Now, some years later, I can see more clearly that not only is "love" or "fear" a choice, but also "trust" or "fear," and at their core, they're the same choice.

In Transformational Presence, as a coach, you operate from a place of unconditional acceptance and trust: trust in the process you're guiding, trust in your client to receive and understand the information available, and trust in yourself as a coach. It's this trust that allows the client to feel completely safe and to tap into their own inner trust to gain insights and take important steps forward. This trust is entirely based on unconditional love, or better yet, is love, and that's what makes anything possible. That's the essence of Transformational Presence for me—it aligns with life itself and how life operates.

I invite you to be aware this week of when fear leads your thinking and actions and when you're coming from a place of love and trust. If you notice that fear is taking the lead, that's perfectly okay—observe it with a lot of (self-)compassion. Then, choose love. Consciously connect with that place deep within you (for many, that's the heart) where love resides, and let it guide you. Notice the shift that happens—both internally and externally—when you make this choice.

I wish you much joy in your discoveries!