Howya Doin'?

Posted by Fiona Harrold | No Comment

So important is this question that every religion has a built in time for its followers to ask this question, whether its Yon Kippur for Jews or Confession for Catholics. For everyone else the beginning of a New Year is the classic time to think about their life and how they’re doing.

Small changes, fine tuning, a little tweak here or there, a change in one area, can make a huge difference to your experience and enjoyment of life. So in this new year, ask yourself – Howya Doin’?

People often dread asking this question of themselves. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the very thought of it. Don’t be.

I invite you to take on the challenge of asking yourself, How am I doing? without panic and keeping the inquiry open for the whole of January. By all means, make decisions and act on your clarity as you go along, but keep the question open for the next four weeks with a relaxed, inquiring mind.

I believe utterly that you have all the answers inside you to resolve all your challenges and make your life the way you really want it to be. I believe this of everyone, regardless of how stuck they may feel or their circumstances. There’s always a way.

So strongly do I know this that recently I even broke my own golden rule of not covertly coaching people when I ended up coaching my taxicab driver in NYC on my arrival at JFK airport!

He was supremely stuck and incredibly ground down, explaining how hard life was and that with two young children, he had to keep on working 6 days a week to make money. And the fact that his restaurant venture two years earlier had failed badly. Yep, that’s definitely a drag, and an invaluable experience.

Then I asked him what he’d really rather do: “I’d love to sell cars!” He loved cars and he loved being around people. He loved the idea of sales, clinching deals, getting the right car for people. Then I got all the reasons why this wasn’t possible. Got them all and I won’t go into them here.

30 minutes later we had a plan. He would call a friend who knew a friend who could get him into a showroom to get the, probably unpaid, experience he needed to have. For a few months, he would have to take off Saturdays to do this, but he could manage. Then, he’d be in a position to look for work. Small change, but a start to a new life for him.

So, go for it. Ask, How am I doing?, knowing that whatever you find that needs changing, fixing or improving, you’ll find a way. There’s always a way. When there’s a will, there’s always a way.