Life with a Life Coach

Starting fresh is always difficult. It is uncomfortable and unknown. The path you now find yourself on is scary and you have no idea what direction you should take. Do you take the path to the left which turns downhill but littered with past choices or do you take the path to the right that looks bright and cheery until you see the misty gloom by the first bend? Or then, do you just walk forward into the woods and blaze a new trail? All of these questions were swimming in my head after I was furloughed from my position after 10 years of service because of Covid.

Where do I begin again? How do I begin again?

After taking some time for myself, I knew I had to do something. I could not just wait for the travel industry to quickly turn around and I could not wait for my previous boss to call me back. I had to blaze a new trail or at least find a path that I knew I could walk. I literally had the world in front of me. I could do anything I wanted; be anything I wanted. But what did I want? I had the time to go back to school. I had the time to learn a new skill. I had the time to explore different trades. I had the time. BUT, where was I going to allocate my time. It seemed like time was all I had.

Throughout my days applying for different jobs, nothing seemed to be what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. They did not even seem to be what I wanted to do with the next five years of my life. I was not hesitating on finding a new position but were any of these what I really wanted to do?

I took a step back and always came back to the same question. What was it REALLY that I wanted to do? I just could not come up with an answer.

After a day of endless scrolling on LinkedIn, I randomly received a message from a connection about her new endeavors into Life Coaching. She was offering a complimentary session to asses where I was with my life and my goals. She sent me a form to fill out called ‘Fulfillment Creation For Your Life’. She asked me to rate different aspects of my life on a scale of 1-10 so she could gauge where I stood and what areas I could use some assistance. I then had to describe areas of my life I would like to focus on. Oh, I knew that:

1. My path in a carer. I have a few options that I am developing for a job and just feel lost. There is a lot to do but always feel like I am waiting for something and then can’t focus. Any good tips?
2. Ambition. I feel like I am not the go-getter I used to be. Still have grand ideas but implementing them seems harder.
3. I have no idea where I am going in life. I have this opportunity to literally do whatever I want to do but can’t figure out what that is.

After a few more questions, she concluded her survey with “As your coach, how can I best support you in achieving your goals and dreams to create a fulfilled life?” Now, that was a question I really had to think about. How could a complete stranger help me achieve my goals? It would be great to get an outside perspective. I probably already bored my friends with ramblings of my situation so it would be great to get a new viewpoint on things.

We set up a time to chat. Yes, I was nervous but also excited. I felt like I was taking my future into my own hands and doing something about my life in a productive manner.

When my phone rang at our specified time, I immediately felt comfortable with her. The tone of her voice alone was what I needed. I could tell that she was going to be an excellent resource to get my life back on track. Throughout our hour call, I took copious notes. She was full of great ideas and suggestions. One that stood out the most to me was to celebrate where I am right now, at this very moment. I never thought of things like that. I have had an extraordinary life and my potential to blossom is there. I just need to recognize that I am in a position to be able to be curious about what I love. I just needed to keep track of the good things that are happening and focus on those.

Another great tip was to map out my day in the hours. I am the kind of person who needs a schedule and life threw me a curve ball with not having anything planned. No Monday morning calls to start the week. No client reviews or trade show planning sessions. No Friday wrap up calls. Nothing. I began putting tasks back on my calendar. I scheduled everything from weekly mediation, daily walks to replace a daily commute, coursework training, continued education and steps to starting my own business.

Although I am still not in a secure place in my life, when are we ever? I just needed that pep talk and plan of attack from an outsider viewpoint and someone to hold me accountable. Now, many people may need different paths and different levels of hand-holding but working with a Life Coach was one of the best decisions I could have made in the time I was in need.

Thank you Shell!