I have been in a few seasons of “hard” since covid hit last Spring. The word hard is an understatement actually. My guess is that we have all had some version of hardship this past year.  What do you do when things get hard?

Here are 3 basic things that help when life or work gets hard.  These are basic and you may already know them, but are you really doing them? I find for myself, even as a coach that I can go off the rails if I am not practicing the basics well.

1. Have a practice for getting centered and grounded. When we have anxiety and stress, our emotions and nervous system go on overload.  It impacts our energy in a major way and our mind, body and spirit.  We need to get back into alignment. My new book is a quick but deep way to get centered in 2-3 minutes. It has 30 days of daily wisdom and mantras. You can grab a copy of it here:  dailynuggetsoftruth.com.  In addition to reading something inspirational, having an emotional and physical practice for grounding is necessary for lifting yourself out of difficulties. My client Maggie who felt overwhelmed and exhausted created a whole new morning centering practice. In the morning, she now meditates, reads, journals and exercises and that has revolutionized her life and career. She now has the vision and confidence to start her own consulting business!

What practice do you need to stay more centered? 

2. Check your mindset and stories. What we tell ourselves, the beliefs and stories that are running in our heads, define our experience and behaviors.  People try to change their crappy situations by changing their behavior – or someone else’s and they fail to have change.  Why? Because they didn’t get to the root of what is causing them pain. Are you telling yourself lies and negative stories that you have to do everything, you aren’t good enough, there is no hope for change, or _____fill in the blank? Shifting these mindsets from the pain to your purpose or positive intention will change your energy and perspective. My client Sam got fired from a previous job and was not being promoted at work. We uncovered a repetitive limiting story that he was not worthy.  He was sabotaging himself without even knowing it. Once we discovered this we did the deep work of shifting that story. He stepped into his greatness and flourished as a leader of a high profile complex corporate program.

What limiting stories are causing you pain or holding you back?

3. Get support! I can’t stress enough the importance of getting help from others when you are struggling. The days of doing it alone are over.  Covid has taught us the pain of being isolated. We need communities of support. Being honest with yourself is where it starts.  We can’t change what we don’t acknowledge. This is an act of wisdom and strength, not weakness. As a full-time single Mom and business owner, it has taken me many years to learn that I need lots of support personally and professionally to keep me sane and successful. When I published my book in April, instead of being joyful and elated about this release, I felt overwhelmed, overly vulnerable and unclear about what to do next. I reached out to my writing coach, a leadership group, as well as a handful of colleagues and friends to help me get clear on my path.

What support do you need right now?

 Check yourself right now that you are doing these basic actions to keep you aligned when challenges arise. If you are not, chose to take action now to shift from struggle to success.