I love coaching, partly because I can see how it has helped me profoundly over the years.
I so needed a life coach many years ago! I remember lying in my back in silence desperate to hear anything from God, just a hello would have done, let alone the my life plan!
My blog post on a growth mindset started by knowing what you want. I spent most of my life growing up not knowing what I wanted in life. I had an inclining but didn’t want to take personal responsibility for my life, it seemed easier to ask God to tell me what to do with my life. Not only did it fit in with the theology I had been brought up with it also was ‘virtuous’. The only problem was I just didn’t hear anything from God. I just didn’t get listening/silent prayer however much I tried. I wasn’t aware of the power of working with a life coach back then – I thought God would give me all the answers I needed!
To cut a long story short I discovered mindfulness mediation and then suddenly got the listening part of prayer. I eventually got the answer to what God wanted me to do with my life. However it wasn’t what I expected. I believe God was telling me to be me. That’s it. Be the person he created, use the gifts and talents I have on the things I am passionate about. Hmm, but what’s that?! Back to square one, however this time I realised I had to take responsibility for discovering what I wanted in life. I was in a well paid job but not fulfilled, it didn’t feel like me.
I went on a journey of discovering and exploring who I was and what I really wanted to do in my life. I read many books and got coaching from a coach as well as reduced my working hours to have more time for me. I want to share with you some of the things I have found useful in my journey which has led me to now be doing something I love, it feels like me. I cannot believe I get paid for doing what I love, which includes giving life coaching to others in a similar place to where I was!
- Describe what you want, not what you don’t want. For me I found this quite difficult. For example one exercise I did was to describe my perfect job, everything down to journey, environment, hours, tasks etc. I actually found it easier to start with my worst job ever I could imagine. Once I had done that I found it easier to describe what I did want. Which ever way you do it, get to a place where you are describing what you DO want.
- What would you love to do if you knew you wouldn’t fail? Often the fear or failure prevents us from imagining and daydreaming about what we really want. If that fear didn’t exist, if you knew you couldn’t fail what you love to do, daydream for a while.
- If you wake up and a miracle had taken place during the night how would your life be? How would you know a miracle had taken place?
- What are you passionate about? What are your hobbies?
- What were you doing as a child when your mum called your for tea for the 3rd time?
- Make ‘follow your bliss’ your mantra. This became my mantra. Explore new things, try new things. I did all sorts of things such as creating a website about the environment as a means of just following my bliss. I dissevered all sorts of things about myself in the process. You don’t have to know where it is going or why you are doing it. Do it for doing it’s sake because you enjoy it.
- Mind your language. How often do you say you ‘should’ or ‘need’ to do something. Is someone forcing you to do it or are you really choosing to do it. If so change your language to ‘I choose to do x’.
- Create a vision board. Get lots of magazines and newspapers and become a child again. Cut out and stick on a large piece of paper anything that inspires you. You may be surprised at what you discover about yourself.
- Draw a picture of what you want. A simple picture or image can give you mind something to focus on. It needs a target. If you don’t give it one, it will create it’s own perhaps in a direction you don’t want to go and are unaware you are going in.
- Scan and put the picture you created in #9 on your computer as your wall paper. Or put it somewhere you see it often such as on the fridge or office wall.
Remember you are allowed to explore what you want! Some times we have limiting beliefs that hold us back from really discovering who we are. If you want to explore coaching to help let those go contact me and we can explore how we can work together whether locally in Cornwall of via Skype as I work with people all over the world. The beauty of Coaching and being able to utilise Cognitive Hypnotherapy is that we can do life coaching whilst having the skills to remove anything holding you back, which is usually yourself isn’t it?!
Have fun discovering you!
