Flipping the basement light switch on, my fiancé and I descended into an array of boxes. We were finally taking our first camping trip of the year, at the END of SUMMER.
As we gathered our gear, my fiancé grabbed a half-open box and inquired “ When are you going to go through this junk?”
“Junk!?! Those are my vision boards and journals! I said in a frustrated tone.
“Well they’ve been sitting here for months.” Echoed my partner.
Not only had I neglected to reserve a camping spot early enough in the year to go in July or August, but worse yet I had buried all of my visioning work from our New Year’s Visioning Party in our basement.
Now ¾ of the way into 2022…I was caught not following my own wisdom.
As a coach, I help people to act on their dreams and goals.
I help them get out of their own way… and yet I failed to do this for myself!
All of us have dreams or goals that we know will benefit us greatly, yet year after year we find ourselves in a similar situation inside the same story… not doing anything.
So why is that? What holds us back?
During a recent survey I had asked a group of 300 individuals what they believed prevented them from acting upon what mattered most to them.
Here is what I heard:
- Imposter Syndrome: You lack confidence and because you feel like you aren’t good enough, you often assume that others will figure this out and call you out on it. This issue isn’t that you’re not good enough, the issue is that you believe this to be true!
- The Golden Moment: You believe there will be a right time; meanwhile time just passes you by. This is also one of the biggest reasons why people never get started on their ideas in the first place. They are waiting for life to open up for them, when they need to create the space themselves.
- Broken Promises: Like when you say you’re going to go to the gym, and then don’t go. Instead something or someone else distracts your attention and you give your time away – such that you have none left for you.
- Ideaitis: You love thinking about and dreaming about something so much that you feel you’ve accomplished something. Yet, you have nothing to show for it outside in the real world.
- Pleasing: You don’t even give yourself the time to think of yourself because your attention is on what other people think or need.
- Perfectionism: You’re so focused on making sure everything is perfect that even little mistakes make you feel like a failure.
- Procrastination: You have so much to do, that it paralyzes you and you end up doing nothing at all.
- Polarization: You are internally conflicted about something or someone. Instead of taking action, you get lost in black or white thinking that leaves you mentally running in circles.
- Money: You don’t invest in the help needed to push your goals or dreams forward. You try to DIY but end up getting burnt out.
When I look at the list, every single “reason” is rooted in something that I believe is an essential element to anyone’s success – overcoming the shadow of doubt.
What is the shadow of doubt?
It’s a belief that resides in the unconscious layers of your mind that prevents you from being who you are and doing what you love most. We all struggle with some form of self-doubt, even people we might call “Narcissistic.”
So how do you overcome the shadow of doubt?
You can learn how to address whatevers holding you back for once and for all by training to become an ICF Professional Whole Person Certified Coach (WPCC). Yes, I had to say that because at the core of our coaching method is helping coaches and clients alike step into the whole of who they are and to authentically align to their very best whole self!
Holistic coach training isn’t just for your clients. You too can shine the light on anything that gets in your way… and that will mean you can help them even more. As a masterful coach, you work on yourself in ways that help you to bring your best into coaching (AND) your life too!
“But wait Feroshia, you are a master coach and you failed to act upon your 2022 vision.”
You are right! I failed for 9 months, but after realizing this I put myself back on my map.
You see, the reason I failed was I was breaking promises to myself. I kept telling myself that there would be a golden moment when my life would settle down.
I was so busy with a sick aging mom, fostering dozens of neonate kittens, I stopped working with my coach. I cut myself out of my own growth plan. So that was my first step. Get back with my coach.
Within a few days I had found the time I needed to:
- Carve out the time to work on my JOY BUCKET that was inside of my journal.
- I took some bold moves to put myself back on the map, including adding in some very important training and retreats into what remains in this calendar year.
- And I did something that I was so proud of – I created a walking group with friends I’ve known for decades.
If you are wondering what a Joy Bucket is then you’ve got to meet our Graduate Robin Shear.
I recently had the deep pleasure of interviewing her around the topic of escaping the Shadow of Doubt. One of her favorite things she helps people with is to create a joy bucket:
A Joy Bucket for Robin is a list of how you want to spend your time and with who (could be just you) such that you feel joyful.
As an ICF Professional Whole Person Certified Coach, Robin recently took her coaching up a notch. She wrote a book and found a publisher and if you’ve ever met her you know that she exudes deep joy and a heart fueled with hope and compassion.
She’s also been on countless podcasts and tv programs spreading her recipes for Joy. Robin doesn’t forget her family, friends, but she also has authentically aligned to WHO SHE IS and WHAT MATTERS MOST.
So what’s holding you back?
No matter what you’re struggling with, whether it’s imposter syndrome, procrastination, perfectionism, or something else whatever you’re avoiding, it’s time to tackle that challenge head on. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and work with a coach so that you can tackle your goals in quarter 4.
Also, don’t wait! Do the thing, create the future you want, and take charge of your life and goals. Working with a coach can do miracles for your personal and professional life and if you’re ready to take ACTION and bring your dreams to life, a coach can help guide you.
Even coaches have coaches! By working with my coach, I now feel like I’m back on track, and ready to crush Q4.
And because I know the importance of having a coach, here is a link to some of our graduate coaches!