Do you remember the old show Columbo? Columbo, played by Peter Falke, is a frumpy homicide detective. Take one look at him and you think he’s falling apart at the seams and not in danger of solving any murder anytime soon.
He has this way of disarming the culprits, luring them into a sense that he’s on their side. And then, in a signature move, as he’s heading for the door, he’ll turn and say “one more thing…” What follows is always the thing that unravels the whole case, revealing that he knew the answer all along.
Clients come to me because they want life to be different – their career or their living situation or something else isn’t working for them. By the time they knock on my door, they’re often frustrated, unsure of what next step to take, or even overwhelmed or paralyzed.
Some come to me unsure of what’s next, and when I ask what they think they’d like next to be, they talk about many different potential paths. Here’s the interesting thing: I’ve begun noticing a pattern with some regularity… and I’ve started thinking about it as the Columbo moment.
Among the potential paths, there’s often one that is presented to me almost as a throw-away, the “just one more thing.” It sometimes sounds like “I want to start my own business,” but should I or could I? Other times, it’s more like “I want to move to X city,” with X being a city they don’t have an “official” reason to be in… no family, no friends, no job. There are other “just one more things” too.
These are dreams that feel so audacious that they need to be whispered, dropped in the conversation almost like an afterthought, to see whether they sink or float.
Well, if you want to see an audacious dream drowned, don’t come to me.
Here’s the way I see it: Dreams like this are like Michelango’s David, before he started chipping away at the marble. They’re in there, and once you start in on that slab of stone, they’ll begin to show themselves. Come to me, and I’ll hand you a chisel and help you find the first pieces of stone to dig into. And I’ll be your biggest supporter as you keep carving away.
Not everyone has a Columbo moment. Some clients have other quandaries: multiple really tempting and equally viable paths is a common one too. But what many of my clients share is that there’s some stone around the edges of their dreams. Stone can look unforgiving and impenetrable, so it can make those dreams feel inaccessible. It takes a variety of forms: “I am bad at decisions.” “I can’t commit.” “I second guess.” “Going off the beaten path means I can’t provide for my family.” Etc.
My job is to help them look at that stone and see it as just that, a hunk of mineral matter waiting to be dug into. Sure, it’s kinda in the way, and it’s not the easiest material to displace. But hey, everyone’s dream is different, so you wouldn’t want to find a sculpture already unveiled. The only way to get to it is to do a little carving.
Having your own Columbo or Michelangelo moment? Use this reflection prompt activity to flesh it out. One ask from me: don’t filter yourself. No one but you will ever read this. And if you need help finding a chisel or knowing where to start tapping, join my group course and coaching experience starting December 31st.