It can be as simple as carving out some time …

It’s a cliché to say that many of us are too busy and oftentimes overwhelmed by our inboxes and the crazy lives we often live. We race to our appointments, race home and have lapses in our memories over those silly daily details. We hope that our mistakes are limited to forgetting passwords and not picking up our young children at the end of the day!

One of my mentor coaches said that ‘sometimes having a coach is about making that commitment to simply setting aside a little time.”  To me this means that in order to do this, we need to make a mental shift towards being committed to ourselves first.

Whether we are juggling many of life’s roles as worker, partner, friend, parent, sibling or son or daughter it can be a real challenge to be there 100% for others when we are running around like chickens with our heads cut off.

How can we really give to those around if we don’t start by taking care of ourselves from the inside out? What I’m talking about here is self-care. It might mean different things to different people but I believe the basics are not just eating and sleeping properly, exercise and surrounding ourselves with those we love,  but actually stepping away from all the noise. I’ve noticed in my practice that when people commit to coaching they get even excited about experiencing any or all of the following:

1. They shut everything out for an hour (I insist on no email, phone calls or interruptions.)
2. Distance themselves from problems (We stay solutions-focused and positive)
3. Explore what they may have forgotten that is most important (the chance to constantly reprioritize because we are different all the time)
4. Having a neutral conversation with someone who is outside of your life (everyone has their opinions about who we are and what we should do with our lives – after all they know us best!)
5. Breathing out and allowing creative ideas and strategies for moving forward
6. Learning to live with possibility and choice by looking at life through a different lens – with increased self-awareness

Ultimately coaching is about helping to facilitate meaningful change in life. What might the cost be if we don’t jump off the treadmill of life sometimes? Have you considered lately what it might be costing you?