4 things I did to move myself from stuck to soaring & living aligned to my vision

october 7, 2023

I can quite clearly remember where I was when I felt stuck. It was like I was stuck behind a closed door. Bored. Frustrated. Directionless. Hopeless. I was in my private office of my corporate full-time job, sitting on my office chair. I was on my computer going about my day to day, managing the facilities, services and team within my responsibility... I recall this moment where I took a break from the computer, pushed back and my chair and just thought, "there's gotta be something else for me."

Something exciting that lights me up, energises me and gets me excited to get out of bed for. Something that enables me to lean into my strengths and use them to support others. Something where I can be totally myself, that allows me to prioritise my wellbeing. It was in that moment I decided I wanted to try something different to shake things up in my life.

This moment in my office wasn't isolated. Months had been leading up to this where I'd struggled to get out of bed with no motivation, I'd felt unhappy, I strongly felt misaligned in my career and life, my integrity had been questioned, I felt like a version of myself I wasn't really liking - not to mention the sh*tty flow on effect this had into my personal life.

Gosh, there is so much more to this story but I'm going to skip straight the good part. Where after months and months (in hindsight, WAY TOO FRIGGIN LONG) I decided to invest in myself.

Initially, my investment in myself wasn't financial. Initially my investment was putting time and energy towards myself. After a while, I decided I was worth financially investing in too, and did that. OK here we go!

4 KEY THINGS THAT HELPED ME GET UNSTUCK & MOVE ME TOWARDS MY DREAM LIFE:

1. I put my wellbeing first.

Yep, I consciously decided I was worthy of wellbeing in all aspects of my life. My career, my health, my relationships, etc. I decided there was no compromises. My wellbeing came before my work, my emails, my to-do list, my dog, my partner, everything. Because without my wellbeing, what good am I to all the rest of it? What good was I as a Leader and Partner if I wasn't at my best? (hint: no good!) Soon after this decision came a lot of work on boundaries to ensure I protected my wellbeing above all else. At the time I managed a team of 25+ staff who worked across 2 towns, 7 days a week, days and nights. Boundaries was no easy feat, but I'm so proud to have led by example and helped many of my team members implement healthy boundaries too. Let me repeat, it was not easy. Boundaries takes work but it's an area that's 100% worth it. Without boundaries to protect our wellbeing, work becomes bloody difficult because you can't be at your best. I always recommend putting your wellbeing first, and this is a glimpse as to why I am so passionate about my wellbeing-first approach in coaching.
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2. I explored my IKIGAI.

I came across this concept in one of my now fave books called SHINE. I think I'd already heard of it, but coming across it again this time I actually took action. I took out my journal and started drawing/writing. Things started to click for me. Possibilities started to present themselves. I began to ignite my spark within. I've know integrated the Japanese concept of the Ikigai into my signature Life By Design program because I love it so much and know how valuable it is for self discovery, fulfilment and alignment in life and career. 

3. I invested in a Coach.

This investment was a financial investment down the track, however not initially. All great Coaches offer a free chat initially, and this is what I opted in for with my Coach. She gave up 45 mins of her time to talk career strategy and life vision with me, to let me pour my heart out about my challenges, my hopes, and a bunch of things that had been on my mind for a long time. I now know this time of my life was the start of my next chapter! My Coach helped me dive deeper into who I was (I'd been in the same job and same routine for years, so this stuff took some unpicking and taking off the layers!!). I rediscovered my values, strengths, passions, what motivated me and what didn't, and how I was getting in my own way. I still have a Coach now, I honestly think anyone who wants to level-up their life should have one - what might take you years to achieve alone can be incredibly sped up with a Coach in your corner.

4. I got clear on my 5-year vision.

I was also just as clear on the fact that I didn't want to be where I was in the *STUCK* moment in time, in another 5 years. It's a powerful question - "If you are where you are right now, in 5 years time, will you be OK with that?" I certainly wasn't. Creating a vision for your life is totally underrated. It's not talked about enough, let alone acted on. Your vision can and will evolve over the years, as you do.

OK so there you have it, 4 of the things I did to move myself from stuck to soaring, from exhausted to energised with clarity and to start living the life of my dreams. And I'm so proud to say I'm living that life now. These steps helped me 𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙉𝙂𝙀 𝙈𝙔 𝙇𝙄𝙁𝙀. By taking the driver’s seat, you get to make choices about your life and career. Just like I did.

Now your dreams are probably different to mine, we're all unique. I have developed a framework for guiding others through creating their Life By Design. It's called VIBE and includes the steps I've talked about in this post + more (Vision, Identity, Boundaries, Energy). The framework and Life By Design coaching program helps people universally to purposefully design the career and life they want, whilst reconnecting with who they are.