
Invest in You
When you are the only thing keeping your business going, you have got to look after you…
So I jacked in my job in February to go full-time freelance, and I knew I would have to invest constantly in my own business to give it the best shot. I also know myself, and confidence wasn’t something I was blessed with. It’s not something you can learn, as in just knowing something doesn’t solve the problem, but something you have to feel. Hence my life coaching journey begun. I cannot make a go of freelancing living with constant intruder syndrome sprinkled with random panic. So here’s why I invested in me first:
I got the talk game
First up, introspection, sharing, and being open to re-training the brain was never something I thought that I would ever sign up to. Then a good few years ago I found myself dealing with trauma in everyday life, manifesting as flashbacks, memory loss and deep routed sadness. I said hello to my inner crazy and signed up to psychotherapy. Three years, loads of money and horrific amounts of ugly crying later I found a new way to be, and the trauma was all but gone. It was so good for me. Like so many things in life that are invisible yet totally earth shattering (effects of LSD, ghosts etc) you never really understand or believe it until you experience it yourself. That’s how I felt about trauma and mental health. After the therapy I was no longer hiding, sobbing or losing control of my life, and my mind had been opened to the big talk game…
Next step, Life Coaching…
Getting past my worst demons was a milestone, but it wasn’t the end of my self-depreciating journey, and my sister mentioned that Life Coaching could be the next step. Life Coaching wasn’t a completely new concept to me. My mother went back to work in the nineties after ten years of being a home maker. She really struggled with the lack of confidence two O-levels and a decade of being out of the technology loop gave her. The recruiter signed her up to Life Coaching and all the positives she had came shining through. My mum got the job, and a career that she was very successful in – but I must admit I still didn’t understand what Life Coaching was all about. I just knew that I wanted that shot in the arm my mum had. I still needed support for my lack of confidence, but not as intense as therapy…so being coached in life? This could be it.
‘You have to meet Emma’
This was said to me so many times last year. ‘You have to meet Emma.’ Followed by ‘she’s amazing’. Well ‘she’s amazing’ is something we hear often in a world of women – we are amazing, lucky us, and we tell each other this all the time. But when you hear about one woman over and over from all your besties, you have to get curious. Who is this person?! I went to a workshop, then a supper club and then I got it. Emma makes you feel great. Simple as. Not as a corny sentiment, she just reflects a power back to you that you didn’t realise you had. You feel great because you recognise you have more control than you could ever imagine. You can make positive change. You can see a brighter future. You can change your mind-set. Wicked! Now this is what a good Life Coach can give you, using all the tools in their professional bag, plus a big dose of empathy, understanding, and strong, but fair, questioning, Life Coaches take you on a journey of self-discovery with a real-life kick. Let’s live now people, because we are able to do so.
The investment.
Ok so it’s not in my single mum budget to hire Emma solo, but earlier in the year an affordable Coaching Circle opened up and it was my chance to invest in me. I go once a month with four other women, and it leaves me feeling so hyper. We share our problems, reflect, and with Emma’s guidance we look into our belief systems, values and purpose. It’s totally cool. We also get homework and the accountability works a treat. It’s about action from the ‘Action Woman’ – no hiding here. Plus there is tea, coffee, water, flavoured water (!), and little bowls with super healthy but nice snacks. Instagram living you look forward to being a part of. Even if you are an anti-Instagram mess, having a bad day, hungover and/or locked out of the house.
The business benefits
Maybe it’s not an obvious one but for me the investment in Life Coaching for my business is clear. My business starts and ends with me. I’m on my Jack Jones. The responsibility is huge. I know why I want to work for myself (flexibility that allows me to give my boys a jolly home life) and I know vaguely how I can do it. But the rest I need to feel. Confident, clear and focused. This is what my Coaching Circle can do for me, and it has already had a fantastic effect on how I do business. It’s takes the ridiculously pessimistic voice saying ‘this is never going to work’ and looks at the facts. It rips it up my lonely, sobby statements that creep in now and again, and finds the practical steps I can make in this moment, right now, to create the change I need to progress and move my business forward. It’s like someone helping me to tidy my business brain-space, organise it to f*ck and light a Jo Malone candle. And as for the other areas of my life? Well the sessions are all completely confidential, non-judgemental and relaxed – so sharing the wider worries (including family or Tinder related injuries) helps for a happier life, which has got to be good for business. It’s a no brainer in my books.
Ps. You have to meet Emma. She’s amazing.
To find out more visit actionwoman.co.uk.
Elizabeth Barrett