How did that make you feel?

It’s likely that voicing the negative didn’t help much. It may have made you feel much worse. This is not to say you cannot vent – venting (in the right circumstances) can be really cleansing. Get rid of those negative emotions and leave them behind.

If you get stuck, however, in a pattern of seeing the glass half empty – the negative – you will find that you have less creative energy, zest for life, and ability to bounce back after the inevitable setbacks occur. You may feel overwhelmed by work, relationships, and life in general.

One of the ways in which a life coach can help you gain perspective is to enable you to see your life experiences for what they are – experiences in the larger picture of your life. You get to write the ‘book’ of your life. If it has so far been a melodrama, that’s okay. You can change the next chapter.

Sometimes, all it takes is someone to see your life, emotions, choices, and behavior objectively. Accept you for who you are – right now, and right here. If that person accepts you without judgment and shows you how you can make better choices – it can be an incredibly empowering experience.

Take Sharon, for example. Sharon always loved working with animals. She spent a good deal of her childhood in the company of her beloved dog, Twinkle. But, when Sharon grew up, she was told she needed to choose a ‘real’ job. So she chose to become an accountant. She did well. Studied hard, learned her craft, even taught at the local junior college.

When Sharon reached middle age, she could not ignore her feelings of dissatisfaction any longer. She was depressed, overwhelmed, tired and unchallenged. She saw a counselor. She tried to accept her life, which wasn’t bad, as lives go.

It didn’t work. Finally, Sharon consulted a life coach. This coach, at first, frustrated Sharon. She didn’t offer any advice. She didn’t tell Sharon to get a new job, or follow her dream, which was to open a training facility for rescue dogs.

The coach simply guided Sharon to her own conclusion. Empowered her to choose her own path in life, without worrying any longer if her parents/friends/co-workers/significant other thought it was the right move.

Together, they made a plan. Set reachable goals based on Sharon’s life desires. Sharon learned how to release negative patterns and move forward empowered to follow her own path in life.

What can a Life Coach do for you?

• Help you learn where your ‘roadblocks’ are and how to take them away
• Allow yourself to be creative and open once again
• Feel confident in following your own path
• Find out what is meaningful to you – so you can lead the life you were meant to lead.
• Even help you with stress-induced chronic physical symptoms you thought you simply had to live with.

If your life is running you, instead of you running your life – consider a Certified Life Coach, and learn how to change your perspective – and regain your authentic self in the process.

There are so many invisible forces at play in our lives every minute – not just the sun & moon on cloudy days, but the forces of thoughts which run through our mind without invitation or conscious consideration. 

In those moments when I’m focused on the old stories and how they might repeat, or catastrophizing over what hasn’t happened yet, I am unable to see the forces behind them.   When I stop living on auto-pilot, I know that how I feel is directly related to this ongoing chatter, all the ups & downs, fears & satisfactions.  And yet, when those silent forces are at work, where I sit is not in the past or the future – I am in the present, right now, where all things are possible, and nothing more is needed.

Being present is like having magic glasses that make the invisible appear – both the bothersome thoughts that pull me off track, and the personal wisdom which sets me back on the path.

Being present is simple, but it’s not always easy.  Stop and take a deep breath – take 30 seconds and find things to appreciate and be grateful for – just close your eyes and rest.  On good days I remember all of this maybe 10 times – and get myself on track.  Many days, I’m clear at the start, and only pause when I get angry or frustrated, when the need for a shift is obvious. In either case, most of the time the invisible forces have their way with me, and I miss those moments of happiness, connection, peace.  I’m certain that creating the habit of getting present is one way I can be in my life, and enjoy all of it.

So, in this present moment, I vow to get a good grip on those glasses.

Each time I get a cup of tea, or answer the phone, I’ll get present and feel myself alive again – able to see the truth, and make the choices that will bring all of the best more clearly into focus.  Smiling, peaceful, happy, here.