What is my 'why?'?

So, whilst gearing up to launch this website and business etc., I had to do a lot of groundwork and self reflection.

It took me back to when I was training to be a counselling therapist, the amount of inner work we had to do before getting close to qualifying as a therapist was immense! I've liked to describe it as being dragged through a hedge backwards, because honestly, after some days on the course I seriously felt like and certainly thought I looked like I had been! With that expression of 'what the hell just happened?!!!'

OK, perhaps this wasn't quiet to THAT level! But it is amazing how much more I have learned about myself on this journey to help more people through coaching.

I am and have always been a people person, I've known for a very long time that people are my passion. I qualified in and have worked in therapy since 2009. I have met and worked with many many many different types of people of all ages, cultures and presenting problems, and am grateful for the experiences I have had with these people and feel truly privileged to have had the opportunity of working with them and being a part of their journey.

So why coaching?

Therapy and coaching have many similarities, however they are also very different in approach. By adding coaching to my skill set, I am able to help more people. I am seeing more and more people who don't have a mental illness, who are not wanting to stay with and work through emotions, behaviours and thought patterns and focus on the why's? whilst working through the past to move towards a happier future. But, they are struggling with feeling stuck, figuring out their next steps in life, where they want to go, what they want to do and how to achieve it. They want to be met at the present moment with a more goal and action oriented approach with a focus on the future.

I knew I was able to do this.

I know that I can help get people to where they want to be.

I know that I can provide and create the right space for my clients to search within and assist them in finding their own answers.

and I know this, not just from my training, work experience and client testimonials...but because I have done it for myself, drawing from my own lived experiences and gained knowledge.

So from this side of things, all seemed great! I can offer coaching as well as therapy. I can help more people find their potential, overcome what's stopping them and live their best lives.

But what I didn't realise was how much was actually involved in setting up my own business. Man oh man! I almost felt my brain implode with the amount of things that came into my head that I needed to do, what I should do, what I needed to research etc. etc. My brain felt like a messy tangled ball of wool and I had no idea where the beginning or end was!

And like any other person...I was then struck by self doubt, imposter syndrome and fear. I was beginning to think, am I actually capable of doing all of this? Am I good enough? Who am I to think I can build a business from scratch, and not only that, but sustain it and keep it going? The idea of putting myself out there was scary. What if I fail? I've told people my plans, shared my dreams and vision...what if my dreams never come to fruition?

This then sent me into that very human place of the dreaded P....Procrastination! If I put things off and don't start, I don't have to deal with how hard it is, I don't have to face those fears and possible failure.

But then....I noticed a different kind of anxiety reared it's ugly head. The anxiety of not following my passion, not following my purpose, not following my 'why?!'.

My passion is people and what I came to learn through the fundamental work I needed to do before the practical steps in setting up business, is that my top 5 strengths are love, followed by social intelligence, honesty, fairness and hope (I used the VIA Institute on Character's Character Strength Test online). I also sat down to really pin down my personal values so that I could determine my core business values to lay the foundations. What I found among my top personal values were connection, congruence, communication and growth.

This all reflected back to me what I already knew, being a therapist, being a coach, connecting, communicating and bringing joy to people is who I am. Not just what I've trained to do, but it is in my core, my nature. It is my character, what makes me...well me! How could I fail at being me?

If I didn't follow this path and take on what seemed to be (and is still) a mountain of a task, then I wouldn't be living by my own values, and I wouldn't be using my strengths.

The fundamental work that I learned that must be done before setting up a coaching business and putting yourself out there, is just what I needed to push past that fear. And what that work involved was really looking at my 'WHY?'.

Why do I want to coach?

What matters most to me (values)?

What lights me up and brings me Joy?

How do I want to feel in my business?

(credit to to Lee Chaix McDonough - Coach With Clarity for her amazing course that helped me on this Journey)

And each question brought me back to you, everyone of you who is reading this, every person out there I may never come into contact with but are living authentically, feeling and expressing joy, growing or working towards those things (that's what brings me joy), and with hopes to reach those who need support, guidance, inspiration, encouragement and motivation.

My 'why?' is people. People are my passion, and helping people find and be true to themselves is my purpose.

I would be so happy for you to share with me what your 'why?' is.

And if you are asking yourself that question and are struggling to find an answer, let's talk it through, you can message, it would be great to hear from you :)

I hope you're all having a great day!

Lucy x