Life is rosy until it isn’t. And perhaps that’s the point. We are served little reminders, ‘jolts’, to wake up and shake up.

Remember that time when s**t happens. It can shift the way you operate, change the way you think and sometimes – like a snakes and ladders board – send you back 5 steps. Or at least that’s how it feels.

And that’s okay. Sometimes s**t happens – okay, often it happens.

That doesn’t mean you are still not successful on the outside – it’s the conflict that brews on the inside.

And it can continue to brew on our mind, carves a path in your thoughts, and you get stuck.

I know that conflict. I’ve spent my life exploring unknown paths and uncertainty. Yet internally, it was a different feeling. I described it to my coach as ‘being on a bridge that I couldn’t cross. I couldn’t see beyond the fog’. We explored this (I work alot in metaphors) and it was because I hadn’t had this experience – this conscious experience – this new path was unknown. I hadn’t done it before.

But I had. And I know you will have had too.

Because when we are busy operating at pace, we automatically do things. We are in flow.

When our thoughts get in the way, it makes us metaphorically stumble, and it’s this that can paralyse us.

It might show up as fear of the unknown, imposter syndrome, perfectionism, I’m not good enough, a hyper achiever, overanalysing, overthinking, and anxiety.

And that my friend, is a conflict and challenge of a smart, high performer. Who has walked flowingly through the paths of success – change – and that pacey crazy changing world that we love (most of the time).

There are three ways that have worked for me: breathing in to the present, mental fitness and speaking to someone to reflect your thinking back to you. Then it moves from the sub conscious to the conscious and you can work on it.

I love the term leadership whisperer, over executive / leadership coach. When you reach a level of success for you, it’s incredibly important to be able to talk to someone. And I promise I’m not saying this because this is what I do as a profession now – I’ve been doing this professionally for 20 years. It’s because I believe that if I had someone to talk to confidentially throughout my career, things would have been less of a turbulent ride.

I’m really glad it’s becoming more popular. But as one client recently said to me – it’s really scary, and sometimes I don’t know what to talk about. When I speak to my coaches, neither do I and often I start talking and it evolves to the real question! It doesn’t matter. I promise you that when you find someone you can talk to and share whatever is going on in your head, with no retribution, my goodness it’s an amazing experience.

Gift 2: The Process

Today’s question and a wonderful process for you is this:
I can only shape my future when …

I can only shape my future when …
I can only shape my future when …
I can only shape my future when …

Write this sentence down and finish it. Do this 10x. Then 25x. And keep going to fill a page. More if you want.

Then go back and ask yourself what the pattern is?
What’s getting in your way?
What are you waiting for?
Who are you waiting for?
And why?

Then highlight the top 3 sentences that you are drawn to. And start working on those.