Windswept

Do you feel a bit swept along by the wind, accepting work you get offered instead of taking charge of your direction?

That used to be me. I often just said yes to what came along.

I wasn’t clear on what I really wanted to do.

I wasn’t confident enough to think I could choose. I worried about not working enough and I was afraid of narrowing my focus to what was right. I shielded the voice of insecurity behind my need for variety. While that need was and is true, but what I needed was variety that I enjoyed and that developed me.

Of course, this somewhat ‘windswept’ situation was a good problem to have. I was lucky to be offered opportunities. Saying yes at times brought me very interesting work that helped me grow. I even got the chance to do things I hadn’t tried before. But I also ended up doing projects or jobs that I knew I should have said no to. Not because there was anything wrong with them, but because they weren’t actually right for me. They made me frustrated rather than fulfilled.

Working with coaches helped me find the confidence to focus and go for what I really want to do, rather than the myriad of things I could and can do. Going after what’s right is liberating and sometimes a bit scary – but there’s not much change without discomfort. Whatever I choose to do now, I do it consciously.

If you’re ready to get clear on your purpose to make the choices that are right for you, contact me to try out coaching. See what it can open up for you.

(In the photo from last week, I’m windswept in the best kind of way on a Sardinian hill. It was too stormy to kayak one day, so we went on a hike and wine tasting instead. They were conscious ‘second choice’ - some forces are not to be trifled with!)