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From Re-evaluation To Recharge
Update And Recharge
The music we like most when we're 17 will probably be very different to what we'd choose when we’re 35, 45, or even 60. Our tastes change, develop and diversify as we ourselves move forward in life.
If that's the case then we should also expect other aspects of our life view to change. Sometimes to rediscover that zest need only be to reconnect and update whatever values and beliefs we might have, since they also change and develop as we do the same.
At other times however, we know it’s time for a change, a "stop the world, I want to get off" routine, at least for a while, before we rejoin for what might well be another course. Or as the late, great Judy Garland once said, "Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else."
Allowing ourselves time to think and consider what our needs are, before asking the question "where do I go from here" can be both a revelatory as well as energizing time. I asked David, one of my current clients, himself having been through the scenario of burn out and wondering "what else?" to share experiences of his "journey’ from re-evaluation to recharge.
David's Story...
"When Mike asked me if I'd like to write about my experiences whilst coaching and the way it's assisted my life during the last year I must say I almost declined. Then I realised that would have been an action the old David would have taken, whereas the new one would most certainly relish the challenge. I might also add that by "old" I mean the passed tense version of who I am today, and also "old" in that nowadays I feel a good ten years younger than I did this time last year.
"I called Mike as a last resort. A friend had been insistent that I at least try something new, and to be honest I didn’t know what else to do. I worked as a trader in the city for more than ten years, and built a very successful and accompanying lifestyle to go with it. However the stress and constant high-pressure environment took their toll, leading to depression and incredible mood swings that would take me from my usual happy and light self to someone nervous and at odds with themselves and the world around them. I was prescribed anti depressants, and when they didn't work, to be honest I worried I was suffering the beginnings of a nervous breakdown.
"For some months I simply cocooned myself away at home, spending whole days in bed or simply watching television. I saw no future, and just to get through a day was an achievement. A friend began to buy me motivational and personal development books, which after leaving them to gather dust for some time I began to read, including Mike’s book.
Voyage Of Discovery
"I emailed Mike, and then right away resolved not to actually book or do any coaching. Thankfully he wrote back in such a way I knew I could talk to him and he'd understand. He followed up with a call, and that is when I started the journey I still find myself on today. I call it my 'voyage of discovery.'
"Mike encouraged me to look at my beliefs and what I thought about the world I lived in and had created. With the softest of approaches, Mike helped me take responsibility and accept my own reality. Through many weeks, countless smiles and sometimes a lot of sweat I have laid firm foundations from which to build my future life on. Now I plan to succeed, instead of plan to fail, which I now know was my old way of working.
"I have decided not to go back to the city, but to begin a business of my own. I’ve begun to invest in the property market, buying and renovating otherwise old houses nobody else would want to live in. Before banking, carpentry, painting and decorating were something I always enjoyed and was good at. Banking just came out of an innate feeling that I should ‘get a proper job’ and a respectable career (all self beliefs, I know).
"Life is still a voyage of discovery, though one I relish with the start of every new day. My work with Mike is ongoing, since I now feel I’ve only just begun this new life of mine. How did I achieve it? By taking action (one of Mike’s mantras), and by believing I could be more than I had become. I would encourage anyone who doubts that changing their life is possible for them, suspend your disbelief and try it anyway!"
Listen And You Will Hear
David knew that working in the city was no longer right for him, because his body told him. Whether were in touch and listen to ourselves or not, eventually our body shouts out loud and we have to listen. But what can you do to prick up your ears and listen to your needs now? Follow my 5 top tips to a greater understanding... of you, now!
