I wake up every morning, excited about the day, I am living my life purpose and I meet people daily who inspire and support me in creating my dreams. So how did I get to this stage?
I have identified 5 key principles that have helped my coaching clients, and myself to move my life from ‘stuck’ to ‘stunning’!
If you integrate these 5 principles into your own lives you too could wake each day full of joy and inspiration, and live life to your true potential.
Stuck
Ten years ago – I had an outwardly successful life. I had been promoted to a Ward Sister’s post, I had bought my first house in Bath, I had a degree and I had some lovely friends and family.
But I was stressed, unsupported at work, and felt trapped in a life that I knew wasn’t what I truly wanted. I started to read some personal development books, and two that I bought changed my life. They were ‘The Work We Were Born To Do’ by Nick Williams, which made me realize that the life I was living was not the only way to live. I could create a ‘portfolio’ career and utilize my strengths and skills. The second book was ‘Life Coaching – change Your Life in 7 Days’ by Eileen Mulligan. I used this book to look at my life in formal way, and examine which parts of my life I wanted to change, and which I was happy with.
I discovered that my life was out of balance – I had work, friends and family, but little else. I started to create more balance by singing. My one hour singing lesson became the best part of my life. I loved it and felt more joy in that hour than the rest of the week. I then added acting classes.
In 2000 I resigned from my Ward Sister’s post and left for a 6 week tour of Australia and New Zealand. I then spent 5 years working for a nursing agency for money while I went to performing arts college, and found out that a career as a performer was not what I wanted. I trained as a life coach and attempted to launch a business before I was ready, and I made other mistakes.
I have now created a life that inspires me and others – I inspire and inform nurses around the world, through my website and talks. I also started to write by submitting articles to my hospital newsletter and then wrote the content for the personal development learning zone section of the RCN website, as well as being published in nursing journals. I have created the portfolio career that I read about in Nick William’s book 10 years ago. I am also working with Nick now, too!
My 5 key principles to achieve am amazing life are:
1. Learn about yourself – self awareness is the first step.
Know what you love to do, what your values are, how you would like your life to be if you could do anything. Look for times when you are happy and feel fulfilled in and out of work. Look at new ways of living – how could you monetize your skills. If you have dreams, what stops you?
Write all your ideas and answers in a journal and take time out from your ‘busy-ness’ to just think and dream.
2. Goals – set them and follow your plan Amazing Posting
When I started coaching I thought it was a very odd idea to set goals for your life, but once I tried it I was amazed! I knew where I was going, I had a way to measure success, and I have created a fantastic life by using goals. Know where you want to go, and then find out how to do it.
3. Resistance – work through it
Displacement activities are a great way to try and cope with resistance – cleaning your oven, surfing the ‘net or arranging your CD’s into sections depending on the color of the spine – I do this!
What activities do you do to stop you from working on what you are resisting?
Recognize that resistance is normal – everyone feels it. Acknowledge these feelings then move through them.
Have a good foundation, get support and write a plan, then do it. Take small steps and keep going – that way you can walk round the world, build a house, raise a child or create an amazing life. It only happens one moment at a time.
4. Maintain your inspiration
Books, movies, travel, people, children, singing, reading magazines. What do you read, see or do that inspires you? If you can’t think of anything then you need to start looking for things. Try a course or seminar, look for actors, entrepreneurs or teachers that you admire and read about them.