Marathon
“Life is a marathon, not a sprint; pace yourself accordingly!”
This month has been a busy one for me and in a good way. I’ve taken up a legal consultancy assignment that will last until the end of the year. It is one that challenges and stimulates my legal brain. I am excited about it and at the same time, there is apprehension given that it is taking me outside my comfort zone. We all know that growth happens there! This does not mean that I’m putting my coaching business on hold. On the contrary, I’m very excited about its growth as I am coaching more clients now, diverse individuals from various industries. Quite of a number of them are introverts and I’m inspired to journey alongside them to enable them to see introversion as a strength and not as a sign of weakness.
I’ve also been appearing as a podcast guest in more shows and have just created a new page in my website - see “Media” above. You can listen to all the episodes I’ve recorded there and I hope you will find one that is insightful and helpful for you. In my conversations with some of the podcast hosts, I’ve been asked/challenged by 3 hosts so far to launch my own podcast. Hmmm…food for thought for next year, perhaps?
With all the happenings in my life this month, I’ve been reflecting that I am working at a pace that is more of a sprint than running at a steady pace. As my new assignment requires me to be at the office of the organisation fortnightly, I’ve had to adjust my coaching schedule, my time with my husband and kids and not to mention the endless household chores. I’ve also reduced time for myself significantly and convinced myself that when I coach, that’s my “me” time as I love coaching. I took some time off last Sunday to rest and reflect on the past few weeks. Is the pace that I am keeping sustainable? It’s exciting, yes! It’s rewarding, yes! Can I keep this up for the long run? The hard truth is no.
This is why I am writing this post to share my thoughts on making sustainable changes in your life.
“Life is like a marathon, not a sprint. You have to train for endurance, not speed.” - Unknown
We live life with endurance and resilience. I looked up websites on how to train for a marathon. The lessons I gleamed there can also apply to how we live our lives.
Start small
Before you run a full marathon, run shorter races to get an idea of the level of your stamina. Similarly, with any new venture in life, start with preparation. Do your homework. Do you know how much you can take on in this season of your life? Don’t go in too soon and too fast without knowing what you really want.
Seek out counsel from those who have run ahead of you. What words of wisdom do they have for you that can help you prepare for your run in life?
For this phase of my life, I consulted friends who have been doing legal consulting work for years and obtained their advice on how to succeed in such roles. They helped me stayed grounded while framing my thinking in the right perspective and not get carried away.
Know your base mileage
All marathon runners have their base mileage that they commit to run at weekly. One must be disciplined to keep this routine of running 3-5 times per week. They review their base mileage regularly and increase it by 10% from week to week to push themselves. Do you know what your base mileage is? It’s where you are confident and comfortable at what you’re doing. You do it well and you can do it consistently. That means you are in your comfort zone. What do you need to do to take yourself out of it, just by 10%? Discover what that is and start doing it.
Practice the long run
Once you know your weekly base mileage, practise the long run. This is to build your stamina for the marathon. It is during the long run that you run slower, allowing your body to adjust to longer distances and teaches your body to burn fat for fuel. This is a timely lesson for me as I tend to push myself and meet deadlines way ahead of when they are due in my previous employments. Now, in this role, I remind myself not to rush and pace myself. Yes, deadlines need to be met but I am more mindful and present when I am doing the work at hand. Do you take the time to think about the pace that you put yourself in at work? Are you allowing time to adjust to new tasks and responsibilities or are you constantly fighting fire? Ask yourself - which approach is more sustainable?
Rest and recovery
Sure, there will be moments in your life where you have to sprint. The main thing is to realise that it is only meant to be for a short time and not for the long run. Marathon runners know the importance of rest days - days when they do not run. They allow their muscles to rest and recover from the aches and pains. The best way to prevent injury is rest. Likewise, the best way to prevent burnout is rest. Are you resting enough, mentally and physically? Is your mind constantly racing with checking items off your to-do list? What would your life look like if you intentionally take the time to pause, rest and recover from the hectic pace?
I protect my Sundays religiously (no pun intended!). I don’t do any legal drafting or research and I also don’t coach. I admit that there are times when I have had to work and I’ve been tempted to schedule a coaching session on a Sunday as I want to accommodate my clients’ schedules. When that happens, I stop myself and think - is this what I really want? Is this sustainable? The answer is always no as I need my Sundays off. It’s a non-negotiable for me. What are your non-negotiables?
Take this time to pause and reflect on your personal marathon. Do you have a sustainable plan? What would that plan look like if you have a coach running alongside you?
Speak to me to find out more about partnering with me as your coach!
“Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it.” - Oprah Winfrey
Who Needs a Coach?
I was delighted to chance upon this image on Pinterest the other day. It was so apt for me given my earlier career as a court attorney and now as a life coach. Jokes aside, there is some truth in the cartoon. At some point in our lives, when we feel lost and uncertain of our way, having a coach to take this life’s journey with you is definitely beneficial! So, who needs a coach? My simple answer is everyone!
I attended a meeting with fellow coaches several weeks ago and we were discussing the need for coaching especially during this period when we are all experiencing stress and uncertainties in life. Mental health issues have increased due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Our entire reality as we used to know it has been turned topsy-turvy. We also discussed the importance of recognising when our clients require counselling and therapy in addition to coaching and how to bring this up when we see this need in a coaching session. My view is that counselling and therapy helps the individual recover and heal from an emotional pain and trauma whereas coaching supports the person get from a good place to a better place, both personally and professionally.
For a deeper dive into the differences between coaching, counselling, mentoring and consulting, please click on my Coaching 101 page.
People choose coaching because they are ready to accelerate their personal or professional lives and work with a professional who will enable them to achieve their goals faster, easier and with better results than they could on their own. A coach will facilitate your self-discovery, the identification of your goals and the prioritization of those goals. Your coach will help you create your action plan as well as prepare for and overcome any challenges you encounter along the way. Your coach will hold you accountable for taking consistent action toward the realization of your goals.
Accountability is one of the greatest payoffs of coaching. It is so powerful because it can make all the difference in terms of you being a “Goal Achiever” instead of just a “Goal Setter” and someone who walks the walk instead of just talking the talk.
Think of your coach as your success partner, whose reason for being is to help you get what you want quicker, easier and with better results than you could on your own.
In a coaching session, your coach encourages you to slow down and reflect deeply on your thoughts, emotions, beliefs and values. It is as though a mirror is held up before you where you can see and appreciate your true self. Your coach recognises and celebrates your authenticity!
“A life coach does for the rest of your life what a personal trainer does for your health and fitness.”
Photo by Victor Freitas on Unsplash
What is holding you back from engaging a coach to support you in your life goals?
Here are three common themes that I’ve encountered in my conversations with people on the need for coaching in their lives:
“I’m fine. I don’t need a coach.”
I get that a lot when I speak to people here in Asia. There is a misconception that coaching is the same as counselling. They are concerned that if they engage a coach, it’s seen as a stigma. They think it’s a sign of weakness, that there is something wrong with them. The truth is that when people embark on a coaching journey, it’s not to fix something that is wrong. It’s when you realise that you want to get better results, achieve your goals effectively and reach your highest potential in life with clarity, focus, determination and commitment. A coach is your accountability partner to help you stay on course.
“I can’t afford a coach.”
Is this really true?
The truth is that you can’t afford not to have one. Coaches are highly in demand these days because coaching has proven itself to be an extremely effective method for facilitating personal and professional development and fulfilment.
The word is out everywhere, it’s in the media, it’s in corporations and it’s in the community. The word is out that coaching makes sense and it really works. In studies that have been done on the impact of coaching, the results have consistently shown a return on investment of more than 100%.
Coaching clients from all walks and areas of life consistently report that it is the best money they ever spent because their investment in an ongoing coaching partnership enables them to achieve their goals. What’s even better is coaching enables them to achieve their goals quicker, easier and with better results.
Now think about that for a moment. Think about what that means for you. Anything you want is available to you quicker, easier and with better results through the vehicle of coaching.
“I don’t have time for coaching”
You may think, “I can wait. Now is not a good time.” Is there ever a “good” time? Are you waiting for the “right” time to make a change or go after the things you really want in life? We are all busy. All of us have 24 hours each day, no more and no less. It’s about knowing your priorities and making time for them. We often make time for others, especially those who depend on us. However, if we don’t make time to take care and invest in ourselves, how can we be there to support and help others.
Stop thinking that there is a right time for coaching. Don’t wait until it is too late. Don’t wait until the “pain” in your life becomes unbearable before you take this proactive step to have a more fulfilling, peaceful and joyful life.
Working with a coach on an ongoing basis is the most time and cost-effective investment you can make in yourself and your quality of life.
What is holding you back from starting your coaching journey? Are you thinking of these same reasons too?
Let’s have a conversation about it!
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