Manifesting Takes Action

Well, hello, reader. 

I have fun news. I was a finalist for the Best Life Coach in DC this year! I was quite surprised because: a) I did not know it was a thing, and b) I didn’t nominate myself or mount a campaign to get you all to vote for me (No Pick Flick, for all you Election fans…maybe next year). 

What I did, though, was purposely turn towards what I love. As in, every day. For years. In other words, I took action. Sometimes in the form of baby steps, and sometimes giant leaps.

What does that mean?

I got clear on what I like to do and what I don’t like to do. I began to notice when I felt freedom and ease in my body and soul. In those moments I also felt lit up by what I was doing. For example, I noticed that coaching people brings on feelings of freedom and ease. So does writing (it also brings fear that I had to work through; more on that below). Connecting concepts and ideas and creating strategies brings me these feelings too, as does learning new tools. 

For those of you I coach, this is why I ask you to do an energy audit. An energy audit helps you notice what gives you energy and what takes your energy away. I do energy audits all the time - noticing when I’m exhausted and what sapped my energy, and noticing when I feel energized - or in flow - and what is giving me that feeling. With practice, you will notice patterns in the things that give you energy and the things that drain your energy. 

I turned towards what gives me energy. Once I knew the things that give me energy, I began to do more of those things. I changed my work day to include coaching in the mornings, I picked a day for writing, I began a daily writing practice with prompts, I got myself out of day to day project management and into strategy. I hired people to do what sapped my energy (like invoicing). I said no - a lot. I set and enforced boundaries on my time. I used my strengths and my skills to start to become the highest and best version of me. 

This was slow and steady work. I slowly turned towards what lit me up. It wasn’t a drastic, immediate change. Those smaller one degree turns put me on a new path; one that felt like the right direction for me. 

I purposely worked on my Purpose. I worked with a coach to take everything I had noticed and learned about myself to clarify my Purpose - as in, what I am here to do in big ways and in small - across my whole life.This helped me understand who I am and what I bring to my work.

I worked through my fears about change. Wherever we begin to change, especially when we turn towards what we love, a lot of fears will surface. What if I fail? What if no one will pay for my coaching? What if I’m terrible? How can I do this without having a fail safe plan with 73 steps? 

I learned in one of my coach training classes that this fear was an old part of every human brain that tries to keep us safe. I began to thank my brain for wanting to keep me safe, and then patiently explained why I was going to do the fearful thing anyway because I wanted to grow and thrive instead of staying safe but unfulfilled. Together with a coach, and with my therapist, I worked through a TON of fears. That allowed me to keep turning more and more towards my purpose.     

And I coached A LOT. Thank you to those of you who have trusted me to help you realize your next step, your next level, your best life. It is an honor to create that container with you and hold space for you to grow.  

Here’s the thing about being nominated for Best Life Coach in DC; I didn’t expressly try to manifest being a finalist, or even being nominated. Manifesting is passive. What I did was turn towards the highest version of me; to actively move towards things that lit me up and felt like freedom. 

When you move toward your purpose, people notice the energy you’re giving out and the opportunities come. But it takes action on your part. 

What are you trying to change or become? Let’s work together to get you there. And next year, I’ll nominate YOU for the “best of” in your own category.