I work with clients to regain grounding. In a world in which time feels short and demands great, we work together to find space to find our truth and reconnect to what gives us happiness and peace.
Michelle came to because she felt she had not time in the day to breathe. Juggling parenting and her career left her with not enough sleep or space to remember what brought joy into her life
We worked to create more time and space in her day by committing to taking daily a walk in the woods with her dog every day. Michelle was proud that she was committing to this “time out” from her responsibilities.
But she found once she brought herself into this quiet, beautiful space, her mind started replaying tapes of mistakes he had made and conflicts unresolved. She would rehash arguments and people who had mistreated her would loom in her mind. Then she would get angry with herself for thinking these feelings. She felt like she could not step away from negative thoughts.
I worked with Michelle to gently notice these feelings and to focus on positive emotions as she consciously brought herself back to the present moment. Michelle chose to do so by focusing on her senses. She would say out loud: “I am walking my dog. I hear the crunch of the leaves beneath my feet. I smell the turn of the weather to autumn. I can see the sun filtering through the trees. I can feel the cool weather on my face.” She also focused on gratitude for what was working in her life, including small moments. Often just a few minutes of being present, allowed her to turn away from the past and to enjoy her woods time.
Other times a change in the parameters of our work life is what we need to find balance.
Maria loved having her own practice as a chiropractor. She had worked for another practitioner previously and felt that she lacked the freedom to design her business that truly aligned with her values. She had plenty of clients and finally felt settled in her career.
Without warning, a fellow chiropractor in town was diagnosed with a career-ending illness. He asked Maria if she would absorb his practice as he transitioned quickly to retirement. Maria wanted to help her colleague, but soon realized that this influx in clients meant too much work for one person. She was working 80 hour weeks. Tempers were flaring amongst her team. She was completely out of balance, and frustrated because she had worked so hard to intentionally create a job that aligned with harmony and a positive working environment for herself, her team and her clients.
Maria came to me for coach because she felt she was being forced to change her business model. She was pushed into expanding when it was not what she had hoped to do. I worked with Maria to think creatively about her problem and consider a wider range of solutions that the choice of hiring a partner.
We explored a range of options to reduce the pressure of her client load I asked Maria lots of questions about her inner wisdom that she had about the practice she hoped to create. We used brainstorming, information gathering, role playing and visualization.
After a month of discernment, Maria decided that she did want to look for a partner. But she moved forward with this decision with a much clearer articulation of the values of her business and the type of person she wished to hire. This attention to the process of her transition helped to attract an ideal colleague who aligned with her values and added fresh energy to her business. The burden of her new circumstances turned into a wonderful opportunity because she took the time to envision how she wished to step forward into the next part of her career.