Recently, a dear friend and colleague and I set out to change our corner of the world by partnering on a business venture you have come to know as LIFEWORKS. We started our adventure by holding a workshop in October, 2015 which was fun to plan and develop, attendees loved it and we thought – we can do this, we can start our own business, have more fun than we do working alone and away we went!
By November 2015, we had hired a business coach, had our name, logo, vision and strategy and we started to roll out – it was all so exciting and inspiring. I was happy and felt fearless, nothing could stop us. We were on a serious path – I don’t recall a time when I was more productive than I was then, which made it all so crushing when the bottom fell out in January of 2016. By the end of February, my partner realized, with deep regret, this just wasn’t working for her, and LIFEWORKS, as we had created it, was done.
I found myself alone again, melting down like a big blob of mush, deep in grief and despair and then it came, it crept in slowly and seductively….the paralyzing emotion we all know as FEAR. It washed over me like an all consuming, hungry beast and took up full-time residence in my brain. It fed me painful lies that I wholeheartedly devoured…”You’ll never be able to do this, What were you thinking, Who are you to coach people when your life is a mess, You’re a terrible partner.”. On and on they went and the stories I told myself, boy were they rich…”I’m going to lose everything, I’ll never find my way out of this, I’ll never make money doing this, I can’t count on anyone…”
I was knee deep in fear and story telling and all that comes with it – mild depression, MAJOR anxiety, paranoia, withdrawal and over eating. I knew I needed to find my way back home – to peace and calm where all is well so I started to reach out to several coaches and friends who supported me as I slowly began to find my way back to ME. I returned to meditation and prayer, and soon surrendered and accepted the situation for what it was. Before too long, I felt like myself again and was able to find the clarity, purpose, vision and direction I had been seeking. I was no longer allowing fear and stories to render me useless and was ready to move forward with all of my lessons learned and more self compassion and flexibility than I had allowed for myself before.
As an Organizational Psychologist and Life Coach, I understand the origin and biological purpose of fear and was able to work through this more quickly than I would have years ago. In my youth, I spent YEARS wallowing in this stuff – it was so bad I resisted most things that were new, avoided taking risks and rarely allowed myself to be truly vulnerable because I was terrified of failure, making the wrong decision, disappointing myself and others and being rejected. I was frozen…for years and I unknowingly did it to myself. I now understand that fear and change are our constant companions, and to live the life I want to live, I am willing to be temporarily uncomfortable and afraid and go for it anyway because I know and trust that in the end, it will all be Okay…I will be Okay.
Fear can keep you stuck in a box of lies for decades or it can free you and teach you invaluable lessons about yourself. The question for you is, who do you want to be? Do you want to exist on the edge of life peering in from the outside or do you want to live boldly and give it everything you’ve got? I know where I stand…
Join me Wednesday, April 13th at 6:30 PM (PT) for a 60 minute call where we will take on…
FEAR…
- Learn why we have repetitive, nagging, illogical fearful thoughts rooted in Lack OR Attack
- Learn how to identify these fear based thoughts and separate them from real fear to live a more peaceful life
- Learn how to tame and manage the fear based thoughts that weigh you down, keep you stuck or even paralyze you from making forward movement toward fulfilling your dreams, goals and soul’s calling
- Receive a gift valued at $350 for attending!
For more information or to register for this FREE call, click here now!
P.S. Click here to check out my LIVE, FREE event April 19th on how to discovery and infuse your unique purpose into your work AND make more money than ever, feel happier, more fulfilled and less stressed and anxious!!
For more information about Christine or LIFEWORKS, please visit us here christineshanley.com