basic goodness

Why Basic Goodness Matters

December 20th, 2009

Welcome to the Basic Goodness blog. I am so glad you are here.

Oh boy. My first blog post. I’ve written this post, oh, at least 30 times already in my head. (Each version wildly different from the next.) In the end, I decided to answer a question I’ve been asked at least a dozen times. A question I tend to avoid answering, by cheerily changing the subject (great haircut!), or by mumbling something rushed and incomprehensible (with Shambhala Buddhism and “maybe you’d like to look it up” somewhere in the mix). It’s not that I am not passionate about the answer. Because I am, over the top, brimming with passion. It’s just that the answer is kind of a long story, and afterwards I know people still might want to look it up. There, you’ve been warned.

The question is “How come your health coaching business is called Basic Goodness?” And below is the answer I would love to give.

Aaaah, because so much depends upon it. (Like William Carlos Williams‘ red wheel barrow, glazed with rain water, beside the white chickens.)

And here’s another related question: Why not something more like extraordinary goodness or breathtaking goodness or knock-your-socks-off goodness?

Ohhhh, because human goodness is intrinsic, indispensible, and perfectly ordinary.

Ok, so that’s it. Wouldn’t that be fun? To just answer like that, all zen-like with soft Buddha smile?

But since this is my first post, and I’m kind of excited, and I could never pull off the say-only-what-is-essential maxim, I’ll say a bit more.

I love, love, this view of basic goodness. Crazy-love. Probably because when I first got an experiential glimpse of basic goodness, it rocked my world, changing forever how I looked at myself and others. Really getting deep-down in my bones that I possessed a kind of inherent alright-ness broadened everything. It awakened a kind of magical self-trust. And from that place, I had the courage to look inside for answers. Instead of having to be good and half-heartedly doing what I thought might gain me a coveted spot in the Hall of Fame for Good Girls (which weirdly not-so-surprisingly, resulted in an inclination to act out in sneaky, not-so-good-girl sorts of ways), I realized I didn’t have to do anything. (Which naturally resulted in an indefatigable, whole-hearted ardor to find my talents and gifts and use them to do good in the world.)

Oh yeah, but there’s a rub. Uncovering your basic goodness, and finding that quality of self-trust, and looking inside for answers, also means you come face to face with all your stuff — the shiny and the not-so-shiny. The stuff you’ve stuck in corners which has a patina of UGH. The good news is that as you cultivate and grow your connection with basic goodness, you find every scruffy scrap can be used on behalf of who you want to be and what you really want to do. It’s worth the whole awkward process of excavation.

More of this basic goodness thread will show up in future blog posts “Aaaah, because so much depends upon it.”

I’ll be writing about health and wellness, reaching your ideal weight, replacing stuck habits with healthy ones, and cultivating well-being. And along the way, I hope to help you uncover and celebrate your basic goodness. So you can rock your authentic self and find some lightness as you move toward greater health and happiness.

If you feel so inclined, leave a comment or two if you want to celebrate with me. Or if you want to shout out how you think basic goodness matters too.

And, if you still want to look it up, try here and here.