Piece of Cake ... Understanding the Universal Echo Cycle

Imagine what it would be like to bake a cake ... without really understanding how the timing of the oven works. You put the ingredients together, set the oven to the proper temperature ... put the batter in a greased and lightly floured baking tin, and place it on the middle rack in the oven.

You’re eagerly anticipating the delicious result. But nothing seems to be happening ...

What’s going on? You diligently followed the instructions and worked hard putting everything together ... and you’ve been told that if you did this ... the oven would, in return, reward your efforts and yield cake.

You check the oven ...

It’s been about 5 minutes ... so the oven is a bit warmer ... but the batter isn’t any closer to undergoing the magical and secret cake transformation ... as when you put it in the oven in the first place.

What gives?

Clearly this oven isn’t paying attention ... or maybe just doesn't like you. You know the oven works ... it's produced cake for other people. But since there doesn't seem to be anything else you can do ... you throw your hands in the air and walk away. No cake today, apparently.

OK, this is a silly example ... but an apt illustration.

Your Universal Echo Cycle is the average time it takes for the Universe to ‘holla back,’ - for batter to become cake - i.e., the time between the moment you finally say (or write or visualize) what you really want ... to when it starts to show up.

I’ve noticed that the average echo cycle, at least with Kitchen Table Coaching™ clients, is about 6 weeks long. But as you’d expect ... there’s wide variation here. Some echoes are almost immediate, a phenomenon friends from the Sherboards call Universal Room Service, and others seem to take forever ... Universal Slow Boat, perhaps.

So why is this relevant? Why is it important to know your echo cycle? And what does any of this have to do with cake?!

It's important because frequently when we put something ‘out there’ ... we feel like we’re alone, that no one’s listening or paying attention. And then we get discouraged ... and move on. So we aren't there, and don't notice when the echo actually returns.

Usually we only notice when someone else has taken advantage of our echo ... (like coming home in time to take a perfectly baked cake out of the oven) ... or when it’s too late (burnt cake ... blech).

It can seem as if there's never any progress unless you force things ... so you never have the experience of letting things happen in their own time. And since you're not paying attention, you miss a lot of your echoes.

But if you know your Universal Echo Cycle ... you know what to expect, like cake in 45 minutes. When the cake isn’t ready ... it’s not a problem. It doesn't mean the oven doesn't like you ... it just means the oven isn't finished yet.

Knowing your echo cycle also helps fine-tune your senses. You start to notice the smaller echoes that indicate a bigger echo is on its way ... the smell of the cake getting stronger ... the building warmth of the oven ... even the popping sounds of the baking pan as it transfers the heat from oven to batter. All of these are signs -- small echoes that tell you to get ready ...

When you’re paying attention to your echo cycle, you have all the knowledge you need to be in the right place at the right time, and reap the rewards.

Cake anyone?

(Note: At first it’s often easier to spot the patterns of your Universal Echo Cycle from the outside; it's one of the advantages of working with a partner or a coach. If you want to track them on your own, keeping a regular journal or log can help.)

© 2004. All rights reserved. Beth M. Lyons, www.kitchentablecoaching.com

About the author: In addition to wringing ezine essays out of the tiniest of notions, Beth Lyons is the creator of the Million Dollar Life™ Coaching program, and co-founder of Kitchen Table Coaching™: where remarkable women gather to dream out loud. Kitchen Table Coaching offers mastermind coaching groups, individual, customized coaching programs, Barbara Sher Success Teams, Teleclass Workshops, Webinars, and the occasional live workshop. For more information go to www.KitchenTableCoaching.com.

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