I recently had an epiphany that I thought might benefit someone else. The topic: life balance vs. superwoman/man drive. Sometimes you have to take a break.
Here’s a bit of my back story:
I am a career and life coach. I’ve been building my business for the past seven years while holding a full-time job. My goal is to go solo in the near future. Being a very driven person, it’s been difficult for me to be patient with the process. In addition to the fact that I simply love this work, it’s difficult to truly set your own pace and not worry about “what’s taking so long” to get to where I want to be. In the meantime, I’ve had some amazing wins along the way. I’ve been building my tribe and carving out my niche. But it never seems quite good enough. I’m my own worst critic. But then – aren’t we all? But the truth is – as I’ve said often – it’s more about the journey than the destination. I am learning to value every step of my journey and enjoy the good stuff along the way. Every once in a while, I need a reminder.
HERE’S THE BIG IDEA… IT’S OK TO TAKE A BREATHER. IT’S OK TO RENEGOTIATE WITH YOURSELF.
I was catching up on journaling after church last weekend. When I sat down I was a bit overwhelmed. I’d had a stressful week at work, and a few personal hurdles. I’ve also been struggling with my decision to ‘downshift’ a bit with my business while I am getting used to my new job. You see, slowing down is so very foreign to me – it’s not in my DNA. I push, I create, I juggle. I work hard, play hard, and then go back and work some more. Sound familiar?
While I was writing, I got an idea. Once in a while, I have a ‘voice of God’ moment. It never comes across sounding like Morgan Freeman (lol) – but it’s usually pretty clear that I’m not the source of the thought.
The thought was, “You should take August off.” Now, to be clear, I’m a newbie at my job, and several people have overlapping vacations this month – another source of stress. So I WILL be going to work. But this time of year, I’m usually in “launch mode” for the prime season for coaches – September through January. I usually come up with new programs or ideas to launch in September – which takes a lot of time and energy. I had already decided not to do that this year, but to focus on writing my book instead. But I was still noodling some minor things to lob out there this month.
MY BIG DECISION
So I’ve decided to take a breather this month from my business. I am NOT going to be promoting new programs. I do have a couple things in play, but I will not be doing hard-core marketing. I’ll be keeping up with my writing, but letting the rest go. I do have a few ideas that I am going to just let simmer in the “idea bank” for a few weeks. I’m also going to plan a few solo adventures like a recent day trip to Annapolis, or find some fun places to write from (the beach, some outdoor cafes, maybe).
So that’s it. It’s not huge, but it’s enough of a shift for me to feel lighter and less “obligated”. Those who know me very well understand why this is such a big deal. I just thought sharing the thoughts might be freeing for someone other than myself.
As always, many peace & blessings to you, my friends!
Peace, love,and joy,
P.S. Did this post inspire you to rethink some things in your life? Is there something you’re ready to take on (or let go of)? If so please contact me at trina@mycoachtrina.com to schedule your free“Jump Start Your Life” call.