Recently, I was talking to a beautiful lady that had lost her very much loved daughter from suicide. This is such a tragedy for all involved. There can be many reasons for people making the decision to end their life however what I do know is that most people are focusing on dis-empowering thoughts & have the delusion of lack of choice at that moment of decision.
Life is an ever learning journey of self discover. You can have your highs where you want to jump in the air with excitement and then you can have your lows when you might feel like covering your head in bed with a doona & staying there for eternity. You think of your wedding day, when a child is born or winning that award with a smile on your face & then there may be times in dealing with a relationship breakup, grief or financial hardship. The thing is that no-one in the world is immune to the challenge that is Life. Life is designed with problems built in, it is how we see these problems & the strategies we implement to overcome them that is the key.
Please remember that when life is tough & you feel that you have no other options, know that you do. You may not see them just in that moment. I love the saying, "This too shall pass", remember this when you have a challenge & know that there is always tomorrow, next month, next year that things will look different than they do today. If you feel stuck, get professional help and if they do not help, find someone that does. You do not have to face this challenge of life alone. This is your life, make it fabulous :)
It's been a hectic week. In the last few weeks you have been
Flat Out. The phone seems to be attached to your ear, there is yet another
meeting to attend & those emails just don't stop. You're proud of the role
that you have got and at first, the perks of going into the Qantas lounge,
parking in valet parking & staying in fancy hotels gave you a buzz. Even
though you still enjoy it, it can feel like a chore sometimes and you often
wake up in your hotel bed and forget what city you are in.
You are a perfectionist, great at what you do and the person you compete with
most is yourself. Achieving is very important to you and you put in the hard
work & the long hours to ensure you get the best results. On the outside,
you are seen to have it all. The luxury car, holiday house & kids at
private schools but it can feel like you are in a time warp of busyness. You
worry about sales in your business, controlling costs and getting that bottom
line profit. Sometimes the pressure of being successful seems like you just have
to keep working harder to keep that success. One of your biggest fears is
losing it all. Then you think of work life balance & you laugh to yourself,
AS IF. It's only when you are on holidays with your family that you say to
yourself, "You know what, this is great, I really need to get more balance
in my life". Your family agree and then 3 days back from holidays, ground
hog day starts again & you forget your intention until your next holiday
comes around.
Travelling away from home & being in a busy role means that you haven't got
as much time with the people you love. Your friends ask, "Where have you
been stranger?" Family have left messages on your phone & still
waiting for you to return their call. You get home exhausted and then you have
your partner wanting to catch up with you on all the news you have missed &
the kids are wanting your attention. You nod your head pretending to listen as
you balance the emails on your laptop & the text messages on your phone.
The kids run off, knowing that you are again Too Busy & your partner
mumbles something that you think was, "You never make time to listen to
me". Even your dog gives you a concerned look as if they don't know you
anymore.
Often people live in a world of being busy that they don't stop to live in the
moment. We often label our own identity with the role that we have. We are a
CEO etc but you are SO much more than that. You may be a mother, a father, a
sister, a brother, a son, a daughter, a friend, you have many roles to play.
You may have heard stories of people that have been in a role for a long time
& retire then feel completely lost as they don't know who they are anymore.
Their physical or mental health can take a toll as a consequence. The thing is,
it doesn't have to be this way. Can you have a successful career, be a high
achiever & have more harmony in your life. Hell yeah!!
Often it is the high achieving successful people that don't put up their hand
for support. They can see vulnerability or getting support as weakness where it
is actually the highest form of courage. You may think, no-one can help me
unless they give me more hours in a day, you think this because that is all you
know. When I coach my clients I often talk about the 3 areas of thinking. 1.
What you know you know. 2. What you know you don't know (which is the area most
people focus on to grow) and the most important area is 3. What you don't know,
you don't know. Tapping into this third area is where the Gold is. Stretching
your boundary of thinking so that you can Be More, Achieve More & have even
more of a happy & fulfilling life.
You never see anyone's tombstone saying, "John Doe, worked 50 hours a week
& was a successful General Manager". This is your life and
relationships are the key to happiness. There is always room for self growth
and to have a strong understanding of self & others, together with
strategies that will enhance your life, these are all available to you.
If this person sounds a bit like you, it doesn't have to be this way. You
deserve better.
