Delighting in Delights

Apr 12, 2023
Kemi Nekvapil Weekly Words Blog

This week I facilitated the third session of my new group coaching program, The POWER Collective™ (TPC).

TPC is an intimate group of incredible women showing up for themselves and each other to support the building of and stepping into their unique POWER.

During the Presence module, I introduced The POWER of Delight, and each participant was asked to fill out a form called My Document of Delights; filling out the form was powerful and revealing.

I am committed to exploring delight for myself and with my clients because delight heals, delight gives us agency, and delight moves us toward the light.

One of my favourite questions to ask a client at the start of a coaching session is, “What has bought you delight since we last spoke?”

Sometimes the answer is immediate, “My partner acknowledged me for how I am parenting our son during a difficult period.” “I harvested my tomatoes and made a beautiful meal for myself.”

Other times there is a long pause, and sometimes the answer is, “Nothing. Nothing has bought me delight.”

The answer to this question can sometimes be the focus of the session. “Why do I struggle to find/see/acknowledge delight?” or  “Why don’t I celebrate or delight in my achievements?”  Often there is a commitment to adding and noticing more delight, regardless of the initial answer. I have yet to have a client say, “I don’t want delight in my life, so let’s move on!”

My document of delights this week included the following:

  •   As my mobility has been restricted since surgery, anything representing progress brings me delight. This week I was able to sweep up the autumn leaves, and smelling ‘that smell’ moved me to tears.
  •   I am extending my daily walks. Although I can’t run for a while yet, being able to walk where I usually run is bringing me delight.
  •   A friend came to visit, crawled into bed with me at 3.30 pm for catchups, and left three hours later.
  •   Being woken up by my sixteen-year-old, Ibi singing along to The Carpenters as they got ready for school. As a teenager, I was obsessed with The Carpenters; Karen Carpenter’s voice gave me deep solace during a tough time. One of my proudest parenting feats is that both my children listen to The Carpenters!
  •   Eating a handful of juicy sultanas and organic raw cashews with a cup of fennel tea.
  •   Watching the cardigan I am knitting grow longer and longer with each row.
  •   Hearing my husband laugh heartily when I grace him with my wit!
  •   Lighting the first autumn fire at the farm while reading Country-Style magazine.
  •   Being able to make my first family meal after my surgery and have a family dinner.
  •   Overhearing a conversation where my nineteen-year-old son Benjamin was teaching Ibi how to change a tire on the bike he made for them.
  •   And then there is the delight of delighting in other people’s delights.

What about you? What has delighted you this week and filled your soul, made you smile, and made this week a little better?

As a coach, I do not give advice, but I will break this rule right now.

If you want to create some delight in your life and live in the southern hemisphere, go and buy some spring bulbs, as many as you can afford, and plant them everywhere.

In a few months, we will be in the depths of winter; I highly encourage you to plant some guaranteed delight now.

I will be on holiday for the next two weeks (planting my bulbs of delight), but I will return to your inbox in a few weeks.

Wishing you a delight-filled weekend.

Kemi xxx

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