Bill Phillip's | Transformation

I Am

I saw Sorrow holding a cup of pain. I said: "Hey Sorrow, sorry to see you this way. What's troubling you - what's with the cup?" Sorrow said: "What else can I do ? All this Joy that you Transformers are bringing to the world is killing my business completely " :0) . I've come to realise that our true purpose / mission in life is to "Give the Gift of YOU to the World"... instead of stressing about WHAT we should DO in life, we should be asking WHO should we BE (we are, after all, human BEINGS... not human DOINGS !) To be a "whole" person, and to live "fully-alive", we need to develop and balance all 4 aspects of our being; Physical, Mental, Emotional and Spiritual (I mean "spiritual" in the sense of "connectedness" as opposed to purely "religious"). It is only then that we can become our "Higher Self" and be truly satisfied and fulfilled in life - TO LIVE A LIFE OF JOY, MEANING and COMPASSION. The injuries I received in Iraq, and my subsequent recovery, became the door leading to a "Path of the Heart"... By 9.10am on November 17 2004 I was lying bloodied, burnt and broken in my wrecked vehicle; the victim of a Suicide car bomber in Baghdad. In a matter of seconds all control of my life had been violently snatched from me...over the months that followed, I came to realise that I had to take it back. Of course, this seemed like a ridiculous proposal to everyone else, given the amount of pain I was in, the extent of all my injuries and unfavourable prognosis, however I knew from experience that the right attitude coupled with motivation and a commitment to "be the best me I could become" would help to rebuild my strength again, not just physically but emotionally and mentally too (I did my first "Body for LIFE", or BfL, Challenge in 2001 and had continued to lead a BfL Lifestyle until the attack, over 3 years later). From my wheelchair I set my goals and commited to achieving them - I decided NOT to let myself be a victim of anything or anyone and that I would ... 1. Walk again; unaided. 2. Build my body even stronger than it had been, before the attack 3. Finally train formally as a LIFE COACH - following the path of my other (unpaid) job ! (I had been a Youth Worker, on a voluntary basis, for over 20 years, with various clubs, groups and projects) Why did I make these choices ?... well, I realised that wherever we find ourselves at, is the perfect place to start; EVERY MINUTE of EVERY HOUR of EVERY DAY. Our lives can change in the blink of an eye - not just when something happens TO us, but also in those moments when we choose to take a stand and MAKE THE DECISION TO MAKE A CHANGE AND CHOOSE TO LIVE OUR LIFE AT 100% ! Since that "Life-Choosing" moment, I have continued to go from strength to strength ! I am passionate about life, health and personal growth. I split my time as a Wellness/Life Coach in Ireland and working in London, as a Risk Management Consultant to over 250 International clients. At the beginning of this journey, everyone was saying "you can't...you wont...it's too soon...", and there were certainly times on this journey when I almost bought-into that ... almost. Winning the 2005 title of "Joint BfL Grand Champion - Ireland" (along with my wife, Niamh) was not the end of my story or journey - it became merely another bright, new start! The last few years has seen us go through some interesting times ... some tough ones: personal challenges, coping with and overcoming the effects of Post Traumatic Stress, stresses and strains, losses ... and also some fabulous ones: meeting BfL-ers from around the world, trips to the US, Thailand, Spain, Italy ... some amazing trips and experiences ... but both good and bad experiences have brought me / us to where we are today - and so, I'm grateful for every single one of those times; every tear, every hurt, every smile, every joy, every moment that I've got to spend with my family and with friends; old and new (of which, you are now included, by the way !) I'm grateful for every breath, for every moment and for every opportunity to enjoy life and to contribute to others. :0) My goal is to inform, inspire, encourage and enable others to pursue / live a healthier and happier life - to live FULLY-ALIVE !! . To do that, I have to "Live It, to Give It" - so I am always striving to grow in every aspect of my being. Life is truly an ADVENTURE ... Man, Life is gooooooood !!

My Favorite Charity

I have 2: www.fr-ray.org and www.barretstown.org ... both of which I intend to spend more time with in the future : )

To me, Transformation Means

Dissolving, Imagining, Re-forming, Flying ! ... I think the change from caterpillar to butterfly illustrates it perfectly ... What goes on in the cocoon of change isn't always pretty, but the results can be beautiful. "I used to think I knew how some caterpillars become butterflies. I assumed they weave cocoons, then sit inside growing six long legs, four wings, and so on. I figured if I were to cut open a cocoon, I'd find a butterfly-ish caterpillar, or a caterpillar-ish butterfly, depending on how far things had progressed. I was wrong. In fact, the first thing caterpillars do in their cocoons is shed their skin, leaving a soft, rubbery chrysalis. If you were to look inside the cocoon early on, you'd find nothing but a puddle of gloop. But in that gloop are certain cells, called imago cells, that contain the DNA-coded instructions for turning bug soup into a delicate, winged creature—the angel of the dead caterpillar. (Martha Beck) If you've ever been through a major life transition, this may sound familiar. We humans do it too— psychologically. All of us will experience metamorphosis / transformation; mentally, emotionally, and / or spiritually several times during our lives, which enables us to exchange one identity for another including physique changes (as an example, think of your transition into your teenage years !) Any transition serious enough to alter your definition of self will require not just small adjustments in your way of living and thinking but a full-on transformation. So the question is; do you want to crawl ... or do you want to FLY !!

My Goals

Physically: Getting tighter and more toned ... and in every other sense (mentally, emotionally and spiritually) to continue growing so that I may "live my truth"

My Intentions

To explore and test my boundaries - to become more compassionate and thence happier ... and to help other people whenever I can ... "If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain; If I can ease one life the aching, Or cool one pain, Or help one fainting robin Unto his nest again, I shall not live in vain". (Emily Dickinson)...

Who I'd Like to Inspire

Most especially ? ... The new President of the United States !! . But then ... is there ANYONE that you WOULDN'T like to inspire ? LOL !!

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