Oops. I stripped myself out of my business…
I did it with the best intentions, niching further and further down - doing the right thing - Singularly committed to the work, and losing myself in the process.
I forgot to check in with myself… and you, my community!
Community is a common theme for me - It speaks to the way I have always run my businesses and my life. It speaks to the loving, connected tribe that starts in my home.
STRIPPING MYSELF
Stripping myself out of my business didn’t happen quickly or easily. I launched myself so far down the rabbit hole of my niche that I ceased to recognise the gold in the work that had come before.
Instead of sharing with my community and pouring myself into the work I love, I kept niching into the silo of precision word searching and nuanced idea generation… shocked and confused when concepts didn’t land, and seemingly innocuous personal anecdotes did.
It was not unlike a favourite summer dress, that slowly fades in the sun… you still love it, but when you look back and see how vibrant it once was, you realise just how much has been lost.
I allowed myself to become that faded summer dress… possibly not for the first time… but this time it stung a little more. This time was meant to be my time. I took all the courageous action, I made the life-changing choices, I took the risks…
… like your favourite summer dress, that slowly fades in the sun, it is only when you look back you see how vibrant it once was.
I remember the moment I realised I was out of whack, looking at my Big Picture Priorities - the expressions of my vision - and realising that while work was dominating my day, my thoughts, and my life, it barely made up a fifth of my actual life - the life that I aspire to live.
It’s pretty underwhelming to realise you are living at 20%! So, I tried to do more and burnt myself out in the process.
STAGNANT & OVERWHELMED
A strange stagnancy came next. At home, at work… I entered that weird twilight zone of being busy, but not moving forward, of having loads to do, but getting nothing of value done.
I was stuck in a world of busy… spinning my wheels and perpetuating the problem.
I entered that weird twilight zone, stuck in a world of busy… spinning my wheels and perpetuating the problem
Even now… trying to describe it, it feels like a strange void - a time that I forgot.
And so to the kicker… I stripped myself out of my business. And in trying to rebalance the over-focus on work, I stripped myself out of my life as well!
It is no wonder that nothing felt like it fit
It is no wonder that life felt like I was moving through a void.
It is no wonder that I felt lost in a fog
The answer seemed to be to do more - to power through. But I also know, first hand, that sometimes the way out is not through.
Sometimes the way out is to stop and sink to the silty bottom of whatever strange land you are in, and trust that you will land on firmer ground. Stillness becomes an act of trust, of faith, and of discovery.
It was my time to recognise that I was stuck, but not broken.
It was my time to recognise that I was stuck, but not broken. It was time to stop wallowing in the stuckness, to stop half-heartedly asking for help, and take action.
RECLAIMING MYSELF
You see, I can not put myself back into my business without first reclaiming myself. All of me: the coach and the mum, wife, athlete, oil-lover, strategist. I am a whole person and until I reclaim all parts of the whole, I can not put myself back into my business.
And so I asked for help. I found partners to join me on my journey of reclamation, a business coach, a content team and training team - and in so doing, made space for me to be me - at my best... in all areas of my life.
I made space for me to be me - at my best... in all areas of my life
From stripped, to stagnant, to stuck, I had the courage to reclaim my life and ask for help where I need it! Being a coach does not mean I am perfect or that I have all of the answers, but I know a thing or two about fear, awareness, and courageous action! I used my tools, I asked for help, and piece by piece I am reclaiming all parts of who I am!
Are you ready to start your reclamation journey? Send me a message, I’d love to hear about it!