In the fall of 2013 I was fortunate to have a coaching job fall in my lap through a referral from a good friend in the Public Relations business. At the same time I added new private clients and was really feeling good about my growth and maturity as a professional coach. Then the holidays and the snow and the polar vortex and seasonal depression and……………..let’s pile on all kinds of things to justify a slump! Futuristic is one of my StrengthsFinder talent themes and it is making me sick to feel like I am stuck!
What is holding me back from maintaining and expanding my success?
Let’s zoom out and see what a slump or feeling stuck is really made of.
Outer circumstances: Maybe the weather and time of year could be a factor. I definitely felt at the effect of the weather but I was not alone – everyone did.
THE WINTER of 2014 IS REALLY OVER NOW –CELEBRATE SPRING!
Inner thoughts and feelings: Now this gets personal! Here are names of the ugly “barriers to success” monsters that live in my head.
- Limiting Beliefs: Something I learned from someone else that says, “This is not possible”
- Assumptions: Believing that the past (bad experience) will repeat itself.
- Interpretations: Creating an opinion about something from only one viewpoint.
- Gremlins: The ugly mind monster that keeps appearing in your head when you feel self-doubt and low self-esteem.
Interpretations are the ones I deal with most effectively in my coaching practice. I love to help clients do a “paradigm shift” exercise. The level of energy created by this simple exercise would transform damp rotting wood into warming flames!
Take a sheet of paper and fold it in half. On the left side write the energy blocking opinion you have about a certain situation from your viewpoint. On the right side, write at least one positive, energizing view of the current situation. (Have someone help you the first couple times!)
For example: My youngest child will be graduating from high school soon and I will be an “empty nester”. Just like any other parent, I have dedicated a wealth of physical, mental and emotional energy raising my children over the past 22 years. What will I do with the empty space in my home and my life? Will I still feel valued and significant outside of my business life?
Paradigm shift: Hallelujah! I have done the best job I knew how to do and they are launching into their own lives as best they can. The time has come for me to focus on me and have fun creating a new social and professional life! Wow, what an opportunity! I haven’t done that in 22 years!
Now, take the left side, tear it off and burn it. Take the right side of the page and post it somewhere you will see it every day. Repeat this exercise until you have nothing to write on the left side of the page!
Let me know how this works for you! I feel better already!
Tuned In Coaching is Tuned In to You! 