When I started coaching around 2001, hardly anyone in The Netherlands knew what coaching was. Yes, in sports, sure. But other than that? People had NO clue.
On top of that, what I coached people on was super vague, too. “I help you find your life purpose,” I said when people asked me what I did. Eyes glazed over. People excused themselves or changed the topic. They had no clue what I talked about. Both coaching and life purpose were alien for 99% of Dutchies back then.
Over the years, a lot shifted in my work. The most recent shift came at the end of 2022. Something shifted, radically. Instead of working on myself, on life, thinking that I’m the manager of it all, I started seeing that actually … I’m not. Life is.
This seeing radically shifted my work, too.
I still call it ‘coaching’—but it’s nothing like it anymore.
We don’t work on your mindset, make plans, or come up with a fresh strategy to boost your visibility. And you don’t have to work on yourself. At all. Instead of nitpicking the stories you tell about your life or what seems to be wrong, we drop into the space these stories come from. From there, answers and solutions come up naturally. (Like burbs.)
You’ll find that same inner peace you experienced on last year’s holiday, when you stared at the sunset with wine in your hand. (And realize that no sunset or wine is needed to feel at home.)
When people ask me what I do, their eyes often glaze over again.
The big difference between then and now:
Back then, I thought something was wrong with the way I talked about my work.
I spent SO MUCH time finding the right message. The average 5-year old should understand what you do, or else your message sucks. And if no one understands what you do … how can you ever find clients?!
Now, I know nothing’s wrong.
Not with me.
Not with my words.
Not with my work.
Not with others.
The ones my work is for feel its resonance. Its call. Whether they understand it or not.
If it’s for you, you’ll feel it. Not rationally. Just a quiet inner click that says, “Yes.”
Love,
P.S.: If you resonate, you can reach out here.
P.P.S. Liked this blog?
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