I’ve been sitting on this blog for weeks. Waiting for the “perfect” topic, searching for the “best” books or articles for inspiration, hoping something “clever” delivers.
**Cue tumbleweed**
Through the frustration, procrastination and judgment, there’s been no action. In search of perfection (which we all know doesn’t actually exist) I haven’t any sooner been able to simply share my simple story about one of the most GAME CHANGING experiences of my life.
And so, without a plan, or structure, I’m going to start writing and see what unfolds.
A few weeks ago, Oprah’s speech at the Golden Globes reconfirmed something very powerful to me, “...speaking your truth, is the most powerful tool we all have.”
I’ve always said, to be truly authentic, it takes courage. We don’t want people to see our ‘shadows’ and yet, it’s often in these moments where we’re met with the greatest connection to others.
With that being said, here’s my truth.
To be really honest, I hadn’t been living a TRULY authentic life for a number of years of my adult-life. I was climbing the ladder in a career that was exciting and challenging, yet I felt like an “imposter” most days. I was waiting for someone to discover that I was in fact, really average and the last ten years of hard work to get to a leadership role in one of the most highly regarding independent agencies in Australia would all be a lie and I’d be sent packing at any given moment.
Pretty heavy and unresourceful thinking right?
The reality was, I was pretty good at my job, I worked incredibly hard, I was passionate about my team and clients, and I aspired to be like my boss. And yet, there were many days where I didn’t believe in myself and could not control my ‘monkey mind’.
I started to dabble in anxiety, I became a master of questioning myself, I was a pro at not exercising and had a very talented internal clock that went off at 3am most mornings.
I had lost my ‘sparkle’.
In an effort to keep this short n sweet I’ll skip the detail…
Some months later the stars aligned and I stumbled into my destiny head first.
Some people find a calling to ‘God’, mine was the field of human development. It was as if my passive passion for personal development over the last 16 years (and my not-so-closet Tony Robbins addiction) had finally led me down the right path.
Never before had I felt more ‘awake’ and motivated to learn. After more than a year of attending courses and undergoing some pretty mentally challenging training, I decided that I needed to make this a full-time gig. I was hooked.
Taking a (nervous) leap of faith at 30 and forgoing all the “shoulds” like getting married, starting a family, buying a house (thank you supportive fiance!) to change professions, start my own business and devote many hours of study, practicing and reading could not be possible if I wasn’t being true to myself.
Without gloating, this ‘living with purpose’ thing is pretty bloody awesome. And now it’s my mission to help others start living theirs.
Two key takeouts which I’ve paraphrased from many great experts in the field of coaching :
Your mind is the greatest resource you have if you know how to take advantage of it.
The quality of your meanings, values and beliefs determine the quality of your life.
So as this blog draws to its perfectly imperfect end, I challenge you to sit with yourself, and think about whether you’re able to speak your truth, to friends, family, colleagues, but most importantly, to yourself.
And then, the journey really begins.
Frances Wills, personal coach & founder of Think Maven
Frances is giving a reader the chance to win a "Awaken The Maven" personal coaching plan with her, which includes 3 x one on one skype sessions. Wakeup to the possibility of you in 2018; get to the heart of who you really are and what you want to personally achieve this year to make it your best year yet. To enter comment why you would love to win this on the corresponding blog post on Anna Reeves Instagram or Facebook.