In the past year, I’ve received a few questions from people connected to the Institute for The Work (ITW) about credits for programs I offer, but especially Year of Inquiry.
(In case you’re not familiar with ITW, it’s a very thorough in-depth training and certification program in Facilitation of The Work created by Byron Katie and many others in 2008).
I finally decided to write to the institute friends and ask about whether or not Year of Inquiry could offer more credits for these folks training to become certified facilitators.
Just the other day, I found out….not yet.
First, I need to offer some of their teleclasses inside the Institute, and teach their curriculum.
It makes sense. They need to see me in action as a teacher, get evaluations from people taking the courses, get super familiar with the curriculum inside ITW.
I had this little let-down though.
I had gotten all excited. They ran it by Katie. It sounded like I might very well be able to call my one year program the equivalent to a 9 day School for The Work plus 80 more hours of partner training in facilitation.
That would have been a lot of credits people could get, for taking Year of Inquiry!
Have you ever found out some exciting, maybe unexpected news….and thought Oh Cool! That sounds great!
You get excited and have visions of the way it will be.
It was like a little journey inside the head….I might be able to offer ALL THOSE CREDITS to people….wowwee!
Imagination goes off on thrilled tangent at how awesome it is because more people will like this and sign up, it will help them, this is an acknowledgement of the beauty of the program.
Then….wait. No, it turns out. Not gonna happen.
Imagination goes off on a disappointed tangent. Too bad because now no one will sign up, people like credits so they won’t like this, I’m doing it wrong.
It is HILARIOUS how the mind runs rampant with one new idea, and what it thinks it means, all in a course of literally a few days.
Now, here’s the great, great, great and I mean great news about all this.
There was a strong part of me, a place I was looking from the whole time, that was unmoved and completely undisturbed.
It had no idea what would be best here. It watched with a neutral eye.
It’s like there was a twinkle of fun in the whole thing.
And I notice plans for Year of Inquiry moving forward, with joy, with or without credits.
How do I know I’m supposed to carry on, and for now it doesn’t matter? It feels right. It feels brilliant and exciting.
It feels like the perfect format for some people, those who don’t care about certification credits (just like it’s always been so far) who want to keep returning to The Work over and over, week after week, every month, all year.
Year of Inquiry is for those who want to answer the four questions deeply without giving up or quitting, or dreaming of doing The Work without DOING it.
I organized it because I needed it, and I still love it.
The most remarkable people tend to show up. This is not surprising. People who know they want to quiet themselves down, slow their minds down, and become more loving and kind with the world and with themselves.
Who would I be without the story that having mega-credits to offer participants in Year of Inquiry would have been the better outcome?
Trusting. Happy. Laughing.
Thrilled to implement the newer format I have planned, and the longer 4 day retreats for both autumn and spring, and the new webinar that’ll be at the beginning of each month on the topic with guidance through a Judge Your Neighbor worksheet, and the more in-depth partner work for those who want it, and the monthly in-person group again.
Who would you be, right in this moment, without the belief that it should have gone that other way? The way you were hoping it might go, even if just for awhile?
Who would you be without the belief that you should have been with that other partner, or it would have been better in the other job or position, or it would have been better if you got the second house instead of the first, or it would be better if you had a possible $25 instead of the $10 in your hand right now, or you had gotten the green one instead of the red one?
Turning the thought around: the way it’s going is perfect. Everything unfolding in just the right timing, in just the right way, for the highest good for all.
Can you find this feeling within, for your situation?
How could this be as true, or truer, for the Year of Inquiry program?
Well, I don’t have to evaluate others on their facilitation skills or their awareness, or for any reason at all. I don’t need to “grade” anyone. Or myself. I’m learning from everyone there.
People can come to Year of Inquiry to immerse themselves in however much inquiry they want, it’s all optional, there’s nothing mandatory or required. It’s sooooo easy for me (and what I’ve been learning is true about life–that nothing’s required–even when I think something is).
I get to relax and see who shows up, and notice how quiet, peaceful and silent this moment is right now….no matter what’s going on in the mind.
I can do whatever I want, make changes whenever I want, take suggestions and new ideas whenever I want. Last year we started an in-person group because someone in YOI wanted more face-to-face contact. Bam. It was created.
How would I ever possibly be able to know that the other alternative I was dreaming of for a few days….would have been better?
How do I know it wasn’t supposed to happen? It didn’t.
That goes for everything that didn’t happen.
Wow.
“The past is an illusion (over). The future is an illusion (not happened yet) so any time you’re worried, you’re worried over….Nothing. That’s how friendly the Universe is.” ~ Byron Katie in Being With Byron Katie 2016
“Return is the movement of the Tao. Yielding is the way of the Tao.” ~ Tao Te Ching #40
Much love,
Grace
P.S. If you have the idea you might love doing The Work for a year with other marvelous and interesting people….and you wonder if The Work could really be helpful for you….I’ll be offering two live masterclass webinars in August on how to dissolve barriers to your process in The Work, when Year of Inquiry is still open for early-bird registration. August 4 or August 9. More soon. Just a little heads-up special for Grace Note readers.