It was about this time of year 24 years ago that I first started coaching. I didn’t feel ready and my first training was still in progress, but someone insisted they needed me. Then others followed.
Now, all these years later, I feel deeply grateful to have served many wonderful clients and built a practice that has supported me for so long. Early on I told God I would be grateful if I knew I had helped even one person. Looking back now at the many clients, meaningful moments, and expressions of gratitude I have received, I feel truly blessed.
In my profession it’s often recommended that coaches choose a niche and specialize in a specific area. I never did that. I simply met people where they were, helped them with whatever they needed most, and intuitively followed that thread.
Recently, as I reflected on my years of coaching, I realized that there may have been a theme after all. One of the most common things my clients say after working with me is that they feel lighter.
That made me wonder:
Could living and feeling lighter be what so many of us are really longing for?
It feels true for me. Perhaps our challenges are challenges because they feel heavy and weigh us down. Yet, each challenge brings with it an opportunity to learn and evolve mentally, emotionally and spiritually. When we recognize those opportunities and embrace them, we lighten up our lives and hearts.
This is what I have witnessed with my clients. They usually come to me with specific issues and over time find that the greatest lessons are in releasing the thoughts, beliefs and ways of being that have burdened them in the past. They develop new ways of navigating life that ease the burdens and help them feel lighter.
So, what might living lighter look like?
While everyone is different and it doesn’t happen overnight, living lighter is a pathway to a more peaceful, meaningful and energized life. It often includes:
- Navigating life challenges more easily and peacefully
- Letting go of heavy thoughts, beliefs and perspectives
- Simplifying environments, processes and commitments
- Listening to your heart and letting it guide you
- Growing in respect and love for yourself
- Feeling healthier and more energized
- Being more connected to curiosity, play, gratitude and contentment
Living lighter is a journey, one that I have shared in with many amazing women. It’s not always easy. The opportunities often show up as challenges in our lives, but when we learn to handle them with more clarity and grace we can move into a phase of life that is filled with more peace, freedom and meaning.
This is how we become the wise, happy women we are meant to be.
As I reflect on my years of coaching, it is interesting to finally put words to what has quietly been happening beneath the surface with my clients.
Maybe there was a theme all along:
Supporting women as they lighten their inner and outer lives.
And perhaps that is something many of us are ready for.
If this idea of living and feeling lighter speaks to you, you’re not alone. Many women reach a point where they realize they have been carrying more than they need to, in their thoughts, responsibilities, environments, and sometimes even in their expectations of themselves.
Lightening those burdens is a process, and it’s one I feel honored to support my clients in.
If you find yourself longing for a lighter next chapter, coaching can be a supportive space to explore what that might look like for you.
When you feel ready, you can reach out to me here.
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