Thoughts on making big life decisions

If you have been reading this blog for any length of time, then you have seen me go through a number of, for lack of a better word, "phases".  And for those of you who are reading this blog for the first time, you will have no idea what I'm talking about.  But either way, I'm glad you are here and I am about to share some big stuff.  And there's a takeaway for everyone at the end, so there's a reason for you to keep reading.

Among the recipes, reading lists, and trip reports on this blog I have also shared some big life updates.  Sometimes those updates are in posts called "Life Update" and other times they are simply mentioned within whatever I'm writing about at the time.  These updates, or phases as I referred to them earlier, have spanned the last three years since I started this blog.  I feel like I've been pretty open on here about my life, mostly because I want to share as much as I can with you.  

A lot has happened in the past three years and I feel like I have changed significantly as a person.  At one time I made the announcement that I was planning on moving to San Diego and then a few months later I explained that I had changed my mind.  And then not long after that I announced I had become a Beachbody coach, only to write a post six months later telling you why I had decided to stop coaching.

Some people may look at these changes and say that I don't know how to make up my own mind.  Others may put a positive spin on it and look at is as me constantly moving forward (thank you, Marisa).  I simply think of it as being human.

Yes, I have had phases where I say I want to do something and then come back a few months later explaining that I have changed my mind.  And yes, these have been pretty big life events.  But what I've learned from all this back and forth is that it's important to listen to your intuition and pay attention to what you're feeling.  I could have gone through with moving to San Diego and it could have been amazing.  But before moving I realized that I was making that decision for the wrong reason and I am very happy that I stayed in Denver.  

So...all of this writing has been leading up to another big life update.  I have decided to become a life coach!  It's still scary to say that out loud, but at the same time it's also exciting.  I have been thinking about life coaching for at least a year, even before becoming a Beachbody coach.  And looking back I think that might be why Beachbody wasn't a good fit for me, because I was hoping to be a coach who helped women with every aspect of their lives and not focus mainly on their health and fitness.  

To me, being a life coach will be my chance to help other women decide what they want their lives to look like and then work with them to make those dreams come true.  I want to help women set life-changing goals that will get them closer to living the life they've always imagined.  Being a coach will be my chance to use and share some of the tools I have found on my own journey and then help other women apply those tools to their lives.  

The first step in my new adventure will be taking a course in life coaching.  I did research and found an amazing place called Beautiful You Coaching Academy that offers a six-month course in life coaching.  Their next course starts in October and is currently sold out.  Thankfully, a spot opened up and I was able to sign up for classes starting in just two months!  I know that it will be a big commitment, both financially and with my time, but this is something that I am really excited to do and I can't wait to share my progress once I start.

But enough about me.  I've talked your ear off and now it's time to shift our focus!  I would like to give you a chance to look at your own life and do a quick evaluation on where things are.  

Here's a quick exercise you can follow in order to start thinking about if your life is headed in a direction you would like it to go:

1. What is one thing you would like to do with your life?  It can be anything, big or small.  Just ask yourself, at the end of your life what is something you will wish you had done or would regret if you haven't done it?
2. How does this line up with your current life priorities?  Do you feel like you have time to do this now?  Or are you putting it off until a later time?  Do you think you're making any excuses in order to put this off?  Be honest with yourself!  If this is something you want to do, why aren't you already doing it?
3. Are you telling yourself that you will do this when X, Y, or Z happens?  For example, if you've always wanted to take dance lessons are you telling yourself that you will only be able to do that when you have a partner or if you have lost some weight?
4. How is the fear of failure playing into your decision on whether or not to do this thing?  If you knew for a fact that you would not fail, would you be more likely to do it?

These are all tough questions, so take your time and try to be honest with yourself.  You don't even have to know all the answers right now.  By reading through this list it will put the questions in the back of your mind.  Just listen to your thoughts for the next few days and see if you find your answers when you least expect to.

My reason for asking these questions is to give you a chance to step outside your comfort zone, much like I am doing by becoming a life coach.  It's easy to tell yourself you'll "do it someday" or to convince yourself that you'll end up failing, but my advice is not to wait for life to be "perfect" before you decide to do something.  Like Thoreau says, "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.  Live the live you've imagined."

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I truly hope this has been an interesting post and I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic.  

​Please share your insights and ideas in the comments section below or shoot me an email at [email protected] if you would like to discuss this topic further.