Why you don't need a coach.
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It has been a jaw-dropping ten months since my last blog post. In those months my life was stretched and twisted—in some ways familiar and in other ways new. Now I’ve returned to my computer and noticed that things have shifted for me; things have shifted so much that I now realize I don’t want to be another voice among a myriad of voices asking people to be better with a conveniently placed link of what I offer to sell you. Enough with this marketing barrage and enough with the shame that sinks in when we feel we are somehow not measuring up. The truth is, living in this modern world is hard; at times, it can be really fucking hard. The loss of loved ones, the end of relationships, unhealthy relationships, worry about work, children, finances, never-ending demands, illness, climate change, geopolitical uncertainty—the list can be endless. Right?
What I am not going to do is tell you that I know how to fix your problems or even tell you that your challenges are really gifts in disguise (which they very well could be...). What I am going to do is tell you this—you do not need me as your coach. In fact, you don’t need any coach, mentor or guru. You don’t need to consume experiences, yoga classes or workshops to become more whole. You don’t need to wear mala necklaces, lululemon yoga pants, paint your walls white or tidy your house using the KonMari method. What you really need is already right there inside you. You—this one-of-a-kind, never-before-seen, gift-to-the-world—already have everything you need to create change. Whether it means making a shift or just simply loving yourself and your life more, there is no one on this planet more capable of helping you than you. You are bursting at the seams with wisdom and intuition. I know you have it all, in spades.
It all sounds so simple and it is.
But what it isn’t is easy.
Tuning into our own guidance takes a form of discipline and courage that most of us in the Western world have not practiced. It requires a level of discipline to make space in our day, to turn inward despite the multitude of things that compete for our time. It requires us to slow down, to develop our own practice of stillness so there is ample space for insight to arrive. Then, when the ever-so-sweet and longed for guidance appears, the question becomes, “Do I have the courage to follow it?”
Gulp.
For me, I have often tucked insight away, sometimes for years, because its timing was inconvenient and I was terrified of the kind of changes may require in my life. Making change takes fortitude and strength; Luckily, this is something that we each have reams of. After all, if you trace it back far enough, we all come from a long lineage of pioneers, warriors and explorers.
Make no mistake, you are powerful beyond measure and you do not need another person to tell you the way forward. You don’t need me as a coach or anyone else for that matter. What you do need is the belief in your own wisdom and the desire to develop the discipline and courage needed to follow through on the guidance you are given.
This is where a coach or mentor can come in handy; someone to help you stay accountable to yourself as you follow through on the wisdom you have gleaned.
Regardless, what you need is always there within your reach, if you slow down enough to hear it.