My January 31, 2022 blog post was published while I was on a trip with my husband.
We came home and the following week I started a new contracted position with a company coaching 20 hours per week.
Even though I had known this was coming at some point since early November, after about 9 months of not working my brain and my life was not used to the time constraints that working for someone else entails.
My work is an extremely flexible schedule of my choosing. I could work literally any time of the day or night. I can work all the hours in 1 day or I can spread it over 7 days.
It is even possible for me to work fewer hours if I see fit; I just don’t get paid for the hours I don’t work.
So why has it been so close to impossible for me to complete a blog post for over 4 months now, with only one exception?
All of the reasons equate to no more than stories my brain is telling me about my situation. And those stories fuel the actions and inactions that lead me to no blog posts (or just one in 4 months).
Why am I telling you this?
Because when I first told a group of friends that I had decided to become a life coach, one of them commented that it was a good fit for me because “at least I had my life together”. I thought that was kind of her to say, but as time has gone on I find more and more reasons why that may not be true 🙂
I tell you because more than likely you have something in your life that you are not making progress towards. And more than likely it has to do with the stories your brain is telling you about your progress or lack thereof.
Why is that important to know?
Because when we come to recognize the stories that our brain is telling us for what they are, fiction and not fact, we can move into a state where we can choose for ourselves if they are stories we choose to continue to believe, or ones that we are ready to let go.
Here are just a few of the stories my brain has offered me over the past four months of inaction on my blog…… followed by some of the actual facts of the situation.
Writing a blog post every week takes a lot of time and energy. That’s time and energy you don’t have now that you are working for someone else again.
I have fewer hours of available time than before I started working… true enough. But I still have multiple hours a day available for whatever I choose. I don’t always use my time wisely.
I am writing a blog post not a thesis. There is not going to be a grade assessed. It does not have to be perfect but my brain tells me that if it is not the best work it is not worth doing at all.
No one is reading these posts anyway.
In the months that I have not been writing, my list of subscribers has grown. Not in exponential ways but it has grown nonetheless.
Multiple people that I know have commented to me about how they have appreciated my posts and blogs and that they have helped them in some way. And these are people who have not subscribed to my blog.
This is not going to move you toward building the coaching practice you want. You should focus time and energy on other things.
The truth of the matter is, I like writing. I love words . I like creating something from my mind, from the things I have learned, the wisdom I have gained, the insights I have found.
The truth of the matter is, I write for me just as much as for anyone who might read it. Yes, I hope to provide valuable information and opportunities for the reader to reflect and look inward, but my main reason for starting this blog was to cement the tools and strategies I have learned in writing for myself. You readers are all welcome to come along for the ride.
There are lots of unproductive stories that come up and I have been listening to them for long enough. So lucky you, reading this, you get a less than perfect representation of the work I am doing for myself. It is the same work I can help you do as well.
….. more than likely you have something in your life that you are not making progress towards. And more than likely it has to do with the stories your brain is telling you about your progress or lack thereof.
I’m Michelle. I am learning how to minimize my overwhelm, perfectionism, and people-pleasing and I am ready to help you do the same. I’m a certified Life Coach and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Come with me and learn how.
How can I portray myself as any type of expert that can solve your problems if I readily admit that I have my own problems?
I have decided that it is better to risk looking like “not an expert” than not showing up as my authentic self. I open myself up for possible criticism and judgment, but the other side of that is I can show up for myself in ways that I didn’t in the past.
Part of my brain says that is not something I should share with you. How can I portray myself as any type of expert that can teach you how to solve your problems if I readily admit that I have my own problems?
I have decided that it is better to risk looking like “not an expert” than not showing up as my authentic self. I open myself up for possible criticism and judgment, but the other side of that is I can show up for myself in ways that I didn’t in the past. I can trust myself enough to show up in my true self and know that no matter what happens I will support myself and and be self confident that I can figure this out.
Will I go back to writing a blog post every week? That is the plan, and the goal I have for myself. But I am keenly aware that there are times that my brain does what brains are known to do and I fully anticipate that there will be times that the stories my brain gives me may hold me in some fear and procrastination. I will plan for this and continue to work to manage my mind but there are no guarantees. It continues to be a work in progress.
Hopefully, you can recognize some of the stories that your brain may be telling you. Just taking a moment to write down the stories (your thoughts) you are more able to create an awareness of the validity (if any) of the story.
As we create that awareness, and allow where we are to be perfectly okay, we can decide what we want to create for our results. We can write new stories starting where we are with the destination of our own choosing. With these new stories we can begin to create the life we want.
I can help you get the stories out of your head and look at them. We can see what emotions are being generated by those stories and how those emotions are fueling your action or inaction. We can see the result you generate with those actions and inactions and you can choose if that is a result you want to continue creating for yourself. Separating the stories from the facts in any given situation can give us a new perspective on what we are controlling and what we may be delegating to things outside of ourselves. “Contact Me” and send me a quick email and we can check it out. If you prefer, you can “Schedule a Consult” for a free session to discuss how you can get started.
And as always…..Remember…..It’s ALL good!!
Michelle Keil Coaching 