Many hats - I love it!
Being an entrepreneur, I can only hold myself responsible for whether I'm making money or not, in everything I do. I am not only the coach, workshop leader, trainer, facilitator or international mountain leader. I'm also the executive director, the financial advisor, the marketing department, the sales department, the administrative department, the legal department, the IT department, and the communications department. All at the same time. That's exactly what I love about my job. I love not 'just' being a coach but I love also putting on all of these other hats. It's been a steep learning journey, and I'm still learning every day.
Not always easy.
At the same time, being an entrepreneur can also be quite a lonely journey sometimes. It's me who's taking the decisions so that means it's also me who's holding myself back when I'm not making the right decision or when I'm just pushing it off because it's scary, big, new or whatever other reason my mind can find. After a July and August full of activity, I found myself in this lonely journey in September. I had to cancel all of my events because of Corona and bad weather, I didn't have anything in place for during or after my maternity leave, and I was doubting my own choices. I was wondering whether it was still a good idea that I have my own business, that I take all of these (financial) risks, and that I invest all of my time in Spark & Pepper, where I could also just live in the comfort of a monthly salary and a well defined job description.
I was wondering whether following my passion and dream is really worth all of the hassle. Because I was hassling. I was annoyed that I had to cancel the events. I was annoyed that my business wasn't as thriving as much as I wanted it to. I was annoyed that I didn't have a plan for during or after my maternity leave. This left me feeling insecure, out of balance, and basically angry with life that my business wasn't growing as fast as I wanted it to grow.
When you're fighting with reality, you lose, but only 100% of the time.
This is so true. It's a quote of Byron Katie that I often remind my clients of but now this one was for me. I was fighting reality. And this wasn't bringing me anywhere, except that it helped me feeling bad and out of alignment with my dreams and myself. It left me feeling frustrated, and oh I felt so sorry for myself.
My own test case
I believe it's my duty as a coach to do a lot of reflection and introspection. When I'm mentally stable, I can help others better in their journey. That's why I'm always making my own mental health a priority. I see that my own life lessons help me connect with my clients on a deeper level. And so, when I realised that I was fighting with reality, I knew it was time for action. I decided to, once again, apply my own coaching methodologies to myself. Not only because I wanted to feel better but also because I knew that if I would manage to get through this, I would be able to help others even better than ever before. It would give me more first hand experience that my coaching methodologies work. And so I became my own test case.
And so, during September and October, I focused on changing my mindset. I focused on letting go. I connected to my personal mission and my true self, and I tapped into my own power within. And by doing so, I got the clarity. I found the confidence and motivation again. And most of all, I was so surprised how easy it was.
I'm a different person
Cause guess what. Only 2 months later, I'm a different person. I'm trusting my inner compass again. I'm feeling completely realigned with myself, I'm no longer doubting my decisions, and I've refound joy in everything I do. I'm no longer fighting reality, I'm working with it. Or rather, I'm surfing the waves of it.
Cause what's more is that I've got more clients lined up for after my maternity leave than I could ever have imagined. I also have got super exciting projects lined up for next spring. My business is flourishing like it has never before, and, more importantly, I am too. I'm a completely different person than I was back in September, and definitely for the better.
I guess it's fair to say that my methodologies work. They do for me, and they do for my clients. One of my clients told me today:
"It really is unbelieveable. I'm experiencing such a big change in such a short amount of time. And you know, it's such a relief, you really can't imagine. It feels so much lighter and I'm no longer feeling unpleasant" - M.
I'm grateful for having passed through this. Because I feel I can help my clients on even deeper levels than ever before. So if you feel you can you do with some confidence, clarity and connection to yourself so that you can feel lighter too, you're welcome to get in touch by booking a free and non-committing call with me in which we can explore whether this could be something for you too. I'll explain more about my methodologies. I might even have a reduced tariff for you. But most of all, we'll have fun. Because in the end, all of my methodologies are designed to make this journey a fun one, or at least a bit less heavy. Cause why wouldn't we?
