Coaching Q and A- Too much to do, too little time!

Hey Beautiful Souls! It’s Coaching Q and A time!

Q:I have a large family, numerous interests, good friends, lots of talents, absolutely bewildered about how to fit all those things in my day!  It seems my 1st priority of each day gets left in the dust by other obligations.  Help me, help me!

A: I think that it’s great that you see all these opportunities in your life! The first part of this I really want to zone in on is where you say “… fitting all of those things into your day” that’s problem # one! You are not always going to be able to fit each of those things into everyday of your life. You can however fit several of those things into your daily life much of the time. It sounds like you are on overwhelm even if most of it is good stuff!

Some helpful tips:

-Define what is truly important to you in general, define your values

-Define what is important/priority to you that week or day and that will help keep you on track.

-With so much we want to do, create, learn, get done etc in general we often want to spend the entire day doing it. That is not always something that is possible. If say writing or something is one of your numerous interests then can you schedule that in daily or a few times a week at say 20 minute spurts? Friends you want to see, can you merge what you love doing with hanging out with one or some of those friends or family?  Combine where you can! In fact it could be helpful to make a list of those things in your life, see where you can fit in small bits of time to feed your soul, where you can combine passions and connecting etc.

As far as the first priority of the day getting left in the dust by other obligations, there are a few things to look at there.

-It can be helpful if you are clear on what the priority for the day is and when possible let the others in your life know that too so they can support you in that.

-Are you scheduling it in and setting the boundaries to “protect” that time? This is not just from other people, though I know many of us have people around that we love and interact with many times throughout the day. But sometimes we need to protect the priorities from our own selves! We can get distracted by all the other stuff we want or need to do that we have then gotten in our own way of what priority we set up in the first place. Also remind yourself, maybe a post it, or putting it on the calendar blocking out the time etc. would help.

-Also ask yourself (a good question in general for many areas of our life) Am I letting perfection be the enemy of completion? If we keep waiting for it to be perfect we often are over complicating it. therefore keeping us stuck in the: Working on it stage for far longer then we need to be.

Thanks for stopping by Coaching Q & A you can find out more about my coaching here and more about this series here.  Do you have a question for the coaching Q & A? Ask me here, in the comments below or email me hstoliveinspired @ gmail.com

Here is to living Inspired, Creative and Empowered

Heather

Coaching Q and A – What it’s all about!

Hey Beautiful Souls!

As you may have read I recently started a new series called “Coaching Q & A! I am really excited about this new series and wanted  to tell you a bit about it and ask for your help!

Coaching Q &A is all about you! It’s a chance for you to ask a coach (me!) questions of whats on your heart. Questions about change, balance, self-expression, goals and goal setting, dreams, finding your voice and anything else on your heart! It’s a way for you to get sort of mini session of coaching and in doing so to help others who may have some of the same things going on (because it’s published but your information is not!) I don’t pretend to have all the answers but I do promise I will do my best to give you something of value in each response that you can apply to your life!

I am very very passionate about coaching it’s just the way I “show up” in lots of situations and to be able to bring more of that to you makes me really happy!

Send me your questions hstoliveinspired @ gmail .com  I will publish your question but not your information. Also you  can  now ask me a question totally anonymously  on formspring! I could use your help and support by submitting questions and if you know someone who could benefit from this too please pass it along to them as well!

You can read past questions and responses right here!

Here is to living Inspired, Creative and Empowered

Heather

Enough-Coaching Q and A

Hey Wonderful Souls! Welcome to this weeks Coaching Q & A this week we have a powerful question that many of us can probably relate to on one level or another.

Q:

When life circumstances change and you find yourself needing to “shrink the rice bowl” as it were (i.e., to be able to get by on less than you’ve been used to), what can you do to ease that transition? What if you’ve managed to entangle your identity (ego) into the notion of what is “enough” and now that you must do with less, you feel you’ve been somehow diminished?

A:

As there often is, it’s really more than one question here. First let me say I am sorry you are going through tough times.

Lets look at the first question: What can you do to ease the transition during tough times and times of change.

-Do your best to find the good in the situation, I know that sounds simple but I know from experience it’s often not, you may really feel like you have to stretch to see what good there is in this situation. You reference “shrinking the rice bowl” A possible blessing in this would be to have the opportunity to really start defining on a serious level what things, expenses etc are in your life because you were used to having them there and what ones really bring you joy, peace and so on. It’s helpful (note I didn’t say always fun) in looking at what things are really important to us.

-Put in routines that are nurturing to you, when we are in the midst of change it’s often really easy to let go of all the good habits and things we were doing because we are so focused on the problem and trying to fix it. Make some non negotiables for yourself daily and weekly. Maybe you used to meditate, exercise, create etc all the time but that has all gone to the if I get time list.. We feel we don’t have time for those things like they are luxuries, but they are actually the total opposite they are foundations for us. Often if we took even a short time to engage in those on a regular basis we would actually get more done because we would feel more centered, calm, nourished, energized etc..

Part 2 of the question is related to worth.. It sounds like you have a big part of your worth tied up into what you do, what you provide on a monetary level and that you are feeling like you are not enough. The word “diminished” was used and  that is a really powerful and telling word about what you are feeling. I deeply encourage you to journal/write out some thoughts and responses to the following:

First though, I want to remind you that it’s really truly about how you show up, who you are not what you do. You are NOT what you do or what you provide on a  money or stuff level.

-Think about some people in your life who bring a lot of soul value to you. Ask yourself, do the people I really value and love do I love and value them because of the monetary things they provide for me? Why?

-Think of the things you provide to those around you that have nothing to do with money. You can even if you feel comfortable ( or even slightly uncomfortable) ask some of those around you, close to you what ways you bring value as YOU to their lives.

-What is important to you, truly important to you?

-What does enough look like to you? Before you were having to live off of less did you feel then like YOU were enough?

-Remind yourself daily: Try an affirmation or word that reminds you of your true  value, your soul value… A starting point could be something like this…  I value myself for who I am, for the soul gifts I bring to those around me and I know that I am enough.

If you have any follow-up questions on any of the Coaching Q & A that I do or If you have any new questions that you would like answered by a passionate coach then contact me hstoliveinspired @ gamil.com Your question will be published your personal information will not. To find out more about my coaching packages go here!

Here is to living Inspired, Creative and Empowered

Heather

Perspective.. Journal Prompt

Hello you inspiring souls!  Today I want you to switch your perspective a bit, get your journals out and think about this.. Feeling what you are right now, today or lately.. If you were writing a bit of advice, encouragement  or anything along those lines, to a friend or family member. What  would you tell her or him?

The reason I am doing this prompt today is that we so often are the hardest on ourselves, we don’t take the time to be compassionate or give ourselves a minute of perspective we just judge. But we are not likely to do that to our friends/family member , you would come from a place of a bit of perspective, non judgment and compassion.. Do the same for yourself today.. Play pretend, write as if it were for someone else.. You might be surprised at what you come up with..

Have an Inspired, Creative and Empowered day..

Heather