I have a client who’s resolution is to lose weight.
I have a client who wants to know what to do when she retires from her 30-year career, after she sleeps
a lot first.
These clients at some point all ask me, why? Why am I doing this?
The specific reasons are varied and personal, but the overall answer is we are designed and set up to grow and change. We’ve all heard the saying “a ship is safe in the harbour, but that’s not what it’s designed for.” Martha Beck tells us we are like horses; a part of us wants to stay close to the barn and the bucket of oats, but another part of us wants to run and explore and go on adventures. Even if we exert all of our energy into trying to keep things the same, change comes along, so we may as well learn how to embrace it or at least navigate it.
When you are first struck with your inspiration, make your resolution or unforeseen circumstances are thrust upon you; the idea of a ‘New You’ can be quite exciting. The new business owner sees herself serving lots of happy people as well as making lots of money. The weight loss gal can see herself active, fit and rocking a new red dress. The newly retired sees a beach and lots and lots of books in her future. Motivation and excitement is high and everyone shoots out of the starting block.
Then, things begin to and continue to become hard. Setting up a business has a million details to attend to daily. Eating less and exercising more becomes a chore and skipping chips and popcorn causes grumpiness. Sitting on the beach reading books gets boring eventually. Here comes the ‘Why am I doing this?’
You have reached ‘The Middle.” The Middle is where you must decide, do you want to go back, because it’s familiar and you at least know what to expect? Or, do you continue to this unknown place where you can’t really be sure what will happen, because you’ve never been there before? The truth is, even if you do go ‘back,’ you have already changed. You won’t be who you were before. You have begun the process and you can’t undo it. Moving forward, you will discover that there is stuff you can’t take with you to the new ‘place.’ It just won’t fit. That’s right emotional baggage. One of the grand points of adventure and change is to bring up your ‘stuff.’ There is a reason you are not yet a successful business owner, a slim, fit person or a happy, content retiree. All the people you see who have attained what you want have done what it takes to get there.
The middle is always the toughest part. You are no longer who you were, but you are not yet who you are going to be. Refresh your vision and remember the excitement when first starting out. Then, you must do the work that it takes to become who you are going to be. In order to be what you are going to be, you must develop the muscles it is going to take to live in and be that “New You.” And the process of getting there, ladies and gentleman is called Adventure!
Project: YOU 2014 is turning out to be a wonderful Adventure! If you are finding yourself not yet starting your adventure or are now in ‘The Middle’ of your adventure,Project: YOU 2014 is now available in a one-on-one version! One-on-one coaching sessions are available as well. http://www.whatnowlifecoaching.com/servicescontact-me.html