For years I worked in a job I was good at, but didn’t love.
When I was with friends or colleagues or at the hair salon or in a cab, I found myself wanting to help people —
to offer encouragement and support by asking them coaching questions.
I was a coach before I officially became a certified coach.
The Confucius saying, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life” proved to be so true for me.
I changed careers after more than 20 years having worked for some of Canada’s largest corporations.
Was I insane?
No, not one bit.
It was the sanest decision I could make at the time.
It wasn’t easy to make the change, but I reached a point in my life when I felt there was no other way for me to be.
I needed to follow what my true self needed and what I knew put me in a state of flow.
— A state of flow is a mental state in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity.
In other words, when I coached, I felt completely absorbed in it and time fell away without me noticing.
No matter what else happened in my day, I felt lighter and more energized during and after each coaching session I conducted.
I took a leap of faith and hung up my own shingle.
Although my actions might have seemed spontaneous, they weren’t.
Before I made such a major transition, I already began the inner work — I did a lot of self-reflection and meditation.
I hired a coach and took a lot of courses, workshops, and seminars.
I planned for the change so that was seemed sudden to others, really wasn’t.
I knew there was no turning back. It was unsettling and exciting at the same time. I knew I needed to make a change.
This is the point where self-awareness really kicked in.
Who I am to make this change?
What to do and where to go and how to take the next steps forward, I wasn’t so sure about.
I didn’t know if I could stay motivated to learn the things I knew would help me in my new career.
What about the negative inner thoughts that crept in like, “Who am I to make this change? Are those people right?...
Should I stay in my “steady and secure” job? (turns out it wasn’t that steady or secure)
My inner narrative had kicked into overdrive, but I knew somehow that I couldn’t let them get the best of me.
I found it really helped to explore those thoughts and shift them into something useful — I changed the narrative and pivoted.
I captured each reoccurring negative thought and really examined it.
Was it real? Was it true? Would I find myself homeless and half-eaten by a pack of wolves by the end of the month?
Inner (automatic) thoughts — especially the negative ones — can really do a number on you.
That’s why I created the Automatic Thoughts Worksheet and included it as part of my e-course,
Supercharge Your Motivation and Foundations of Emotional Intelligence
You can get your free Automatic Thoughts Worksheet and do the same pivot your inner narrative exercise as I did and still do.
To gain access to my free Automatic Thoughts Worksheet, sign up for my MONTHLY NEWSLETTER (you can change your email preferences at any time).
We strictly honour your privacy. You can access it by filling out the “join newsletter now” form on this blog page or from the home page of my website.
Have you ever felt this way?
Are negative thoughts stopping you from moving forward on something you’d like to try or do you keep a goal locked away inside you?
Would you like to learn more about the next steps for your personal growth?
I would love to help you and invite you to contact me for a free coaching call.
Just email i[email protected] or use the online scheduler to set up your call with me directly.
Do you have a list of goals or dreams for yourself, but are too afraid or unsure what to do to start making them a reality?
Make a list. Make it big, hairy, audacious and even a little scary!
I made a bucket list of dreams and goals I had and things I wanted to accomplish even though some of them scared me.
I even created a personal manifesto and published it on my (then) blog. Talk about putting myself out there!
I included some big, hairy audacious goals including surfing in Hawaii, running the Boston Marathon...
Writing a novel, and making a living with a lifestyle career as a coach and consultant.
Then, something exciting happened.
As I worked on these goals and made time for them in my life, little by little, things started to shift.
I was able to accomplish all these goals and more within 5 years of creating my bucket list.
Some people thought I was insane and I know they were scared for me.
Others thought I was having a midlife crisis.
Some just didn’t get it and others encouraged me to work toward my dreams even though they thought I was a little young for a bucket list.
“Was I planning on kicking the bucket soon?”, they asked.
“No.” I resolutely, replied.
When I finished publishing my second novel and completed my third Boston Marathon,
people started asking me more questions about my process and how I accomplished what I did.
At the time, I couldn’t clarify it as easily as I can now. Nor was it so evident to me how I was called to serve.
Here’s my secret:
it comes down to SELF.
— self-awareness and self-development, that is.
It is that simple, but that doesn’t mean it is that easy. It takes work and a willingness to explore the great adventure within you.
As Benjamin Franklin put it “There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one’s self.”
So what is self-awareness exactly?
Basically, self-awareness is the ability to take an honest look at your life without any attachment to it being right or wrong, good or bad.
Being self-aware is crucial for both personal and professional success.
When you are self-aware, you can choose where to focus your emotions and so that you can better navigate the course of your life.
Self-awareness helps you be much more aware of your thoughts and emotions and how these things influence your decision-making and your actions.
The best way to continually develop self-awareness is to learn to look at yourself objectively and to try to see yourself as others see and perceive you.
The more self-aware you are, the more you can improve upon and make healthy changes in your life that honour your wishes and dreams.
Wouldn’t you like this to happen for you as well?
The more I explored my self-awareness, the more I realized that helping people develop greater self-awareness...
And fostering a connection to the importance of self-development was my passion
and that I touched on these concepts in every conversation and coaching engagement I undertook.
So, my friend, that is why I created Authentika Academy!
I want to help you have easy and affordable access to my e-courses. They are a great way to learn online whenever and wherever you wish.
They are self-directed and easy to follow with fillable PDF worksheets you can access to help you take actionable steps forward.
Do you want:
- greater self-confidence and self-esteem?
- be more interesting to yourself and others?
- create new opportunities in your life?
- meet new people?
- advance in your career or embark on a new one?
- become a better version of yourself?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, it’s time to take one small, next step.
Learn more about how to become more self-aware.
Both my e-courses Supercharge Your Motivation and Foundations of Emotional Intelligence will walk you through...
The process in easy to follow and easy to understand practical steps.
To learn more about the importance of self-awareness, check out Organizational Psychologist,
Tasha Eurich’s TED Talk on Increase Your Self Awareness with One Simple Fix.
She shares that the simple fix means asking yourself “What” questions instead of “Why” questions.
Tasha has a book called Insight that reveals the findings of her three-year research program on self-awareness,
which she calls the meta-skill of the 21st century.
So my friend...
if you’re ready to take one small step forward, let’s get you started on the track of seeing yourself more clearly...
So you can experience more contentment, prosperity and joy in your life.
I look forward to connecting with you soon and until then, I’m sharing my favourite Rumi quote with you:
“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”
Let your cup be filled up by learning more about yourself and what you most need to live a life you love!
