Born for Adventure (Part 1) by Joanna Chin (Guest)
First published on LinkedIn on 24 September 2020
On 9 Jan 2020, in the midst of deep fissures surfacing in Hong Kong, I wrote an article about my naughty 103 year old grannie and her sufferings as a young woman. (What I learnt from my 103 year old Grannie)
At the end of the article, I expressed my hope for 2020;
“My hope for 2020 and beyond is this: to stop and pause to capture
transcendent beauty even in places of darkness, where love and kindness abide.”
Little did I know that this was an overture of my life message for 2020 and beyond.
Feeling the intensity, exploring the possibilities
Over the last few weeks, for the first time in public, I’ve shared more of my story (a decade of adventure with the highest peaks and also the lowest points of my life).
The reason I share my story in this particular season is to let people know that they’re not alone. If it’s just one or two people who find comfort in that, then it’s worth it.
I’m naturally a “feeler” (I feel my own emotions intensely, and I also feel other people’s emotions). Despite having worked in the austere corporate environment for 15 years, I’m proud to declare that even though I went through periods of “numbing” myself… I did not close my heart from feeling. My best friend at law school told me once that my ability to express emotions and to cry is a display of strength (and later in life, she sardonically told me that she could always count on me to cry at her funeral). Somehow, both comments (!) stuck with me.
Our emotions are part of being human, and feeling them means we are in touch with our bodies. Let me explain – award winning neuroscientist Dr Antonio Damasio defines emotions and feelings distinctly. [1]
Emotions are physiological states triggered largely by an external stimuli. (Eg. increased heart rate, secretion of cortisol and adrenalin)
Feelings are mental experiences of such body states, which arise as the brain interprets emotions.
Since becoming a coach almost 8 years ago, I’ve been exploring my own emotions (as well as helping others do the same) with curiosity and openness. In doing so, I’ve learnt a lot about myself and others as emotions give us valuable data about what’s going on inside. As a teenager and young adult, emotions were like a nightmare rollercoaster ride (I hate real rollercoasters by the way– they make me puke). Wiser now, whilst I still feel the intensity of emotions, I don’t fight them off and I don’t let them derail me… I receive them as a gift. It is my ability to FEEL their intensity and to apply cognitive frameworks to explore them that I can now empower others to understand and navigate through their wonder and mystery.
The other night during a storm, I sat in the dark and watched lightning strike… the anticipation of it striking made my stomach churn and heart rate go up. The physical sensation was very similar to the anticipation of seeing someone I’m madly in love with after a period of separation. At the same time, it’s the same physical sensation before stepping on stage to speak to hundreds of people. That evening, my brain interpreted it as a mix of nervousness and excitement. Awe.
Continuing our adventure, having an explorer’s mindset
Learning to feel emotions and how to process them cognitively is necessary to weather the current storm. In intentional processing, we’ll uncover the critic’s voice that tries to usurp our abilities and personal power to derail us in our life’s journey. In the uncovering comes the overcoming.
Listen to the wisdom of Colin O’Brady (solo adventurer who pulled a sled 932 miles across Antarctica on his own in 54 days in 2018).
“…you’re alone in your own thoughts.. it’s like a party and you’re inviting all the angels and demons in your mind to it.... deep fear, anxiety, exhaustion, and doubt. All of those typical negative self-talks that we have. You need an ability to look at those dark edges straight in the face and overcome them. It’s really a focus on shifting that mindset toward the positive, as well as observing some of those negative emotions more objectively. ”[2]
Captain Liz Clark (solo explorer who has sailed 20,000 nautical miles of ocean) says
“Once I started doing the work of slaying those inner demons… observing my unhealthy patterns, learning my emotional triggers, I felt more love for myself.”[3]
“I’ve discovered that the most important sort of exploration happens within.”[4]
That inner journey is a solo one. But with the determination of an explorer, we can push through discomfort, boundaries, go to the frontiers and find new ways.
It’s in the exploration that we let go of fears and dare to live life, not merely exist.
It’s in the exploration that we discover who we truly are, unrivalled in magnificence, unrivalled in creativity, unrivalled in our capacity to love.
It’s in the exploration that we discover the wildness of our hearts. Fasten our hearts to a higher purpose, and we’ll fight to the end!
COVID-19 together with all its uncertainties – it’s just another crazy adventure we can overcome.
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”
― Helen Keller
Connect with Joanna Chin on LinkedIn:
Joanna is an executive coach with 25 years’ experience in the professional and corporate sector, with almost 8 years’ experience as a coach. She went on a sabbatical for 18 months from 2011 to search for her life calling and found her passion in coaching during her stay in the U.S.A. Prior to that, Joanna was a transactional lawyer for 15 years and worked with international firms and companies in 3 jurisdictions (New Zealand, Hong Kong SAR, England & Wales). Joanna is an Adjunct Professor at Ivey Business School (Asia) and conducts programs on Executive Presence, Communication and Emotional Wellness. Joanna is also a key note speaker and passionate advocate of women in leadership.