Running from Vulnerability or Running with Vulnerability?

Life lessons during COVID-19.

What to do? What to do?

I was feeling a lot of frustration the past couple of days. I had allowed myself to be distracted by things that were out of my control.

I started to worry. Probably about the same things you worry about…how is COVID affecting my life and business, where is my stimulus check, why is it so easy to get sucked into social media tiffs instead of staying focused on doing the work I need to do (like exercise)?

You know…typical shit (and, we all know ‘WORK’ is a 4-letter word).

I was distracted. I had fallen off my horse, and wound up sitting on a much higher, and much more opinionated horse.

It felt like I was in control because I could share my opinions & beliefs. It was a false metric.

It gave me a brief dopamine rush that felt good, but it also left me focused on situations where I was thinking about them long after I should have been. As Neil Gaiman would call it “esprit de l’escalier,” The Spirit of The Staircase – or, “I shoulda said THAT instead.”

Wastes of time and energy…short-term nonsense that felt good in the moment because I had lost connection to my bigger picture.

Then yesterday I sat with a coach and in a 5-minute conversation, I got very clear on my goals, actions, and focus.

Five minutes. That’s all it took.

Part of doing this coaching work that I love to do is when I get to experience it as a client for my growth.

Because, when you are doing this type of work, it is about your evolution too. How can you get out of your own way so that you can better help others to get out of theirs?

My big takeaway from this 5-minute conversation: How do I want to show up as a leader?

Confident and humble would be my two primary adjectives for that role, at this moment.

I’m sharing this to hopefully create some awareness for two things.

1.       Those of us in the coaching field (and probably even counselors, therapists, nurses, doctors, etc…) are human too.

We experience the same frustrations that everyone else does.

We may, or may not, be fully aware of them as they are present, but we know that these challenges are in place for our growth so that we may better serve.

2.       It’s important for me to allow others into seeing my journey. It’s important in this moment for me to be open about my vulnerability, and how I’m navigating it.

I’m not saying my way is the right way…it’s just my way.

We’ll all do it differently.  You’ll find your way that works for you.

I am proud to be associated with a great group of amazing individuals who help others to find their ideal path in life, and I am honored that I have been granted the gift to do the same.

My horse has gotten shorter. It is no longer high and off-balance. It’s ready to run.

I'm riding toward Peru in July.

Are you ready to saddle-up and come along for the ride?