A Coach for Paddling, Yes, But for Life?
Coffee in hand. To do list staring at me. Yet nothing is getting accomplished. I close the computer screen. Head to my room. Suitcase on the floor. As if I was only staying for a few hours. But I am home.
I fall back into bed. Starring at the ceiling. Foggy. Unmotivated. And I feel that anxiousness creeping in like fog in San Francisco.
As I began my dream job back in 2012. I started to travel. A lot. I was also pursuing another thing. Racing stand up paddleboards. I was living life on a high. But there were lows. Some really low ones. Which I taught myself to suppress. I hide them so well, I didn't even notice.
This continued on for years. Unfortunately, the lows became a lot more noticeable. And my coping skills were self destructive ones. The competitor in me wanted a change. I needed more from my life. And I began a conquest to change.
This journey into finding the answer shined a bright light on the past behaviors. I realized I used traveling, racing, paddling, and even yoga to temporally feel better. And when those didn't work I used the mind altering influences and others. To shift the feelings.
Knowing that none of these provided a lasting fix. There was an urge to dive deep. And the universe would layout a path for me to follow. If I was ready and willing.
Ready and willing. Sounds like an easy answer. Except for the walls I built around this area of pain. Where fortress like. Think Fort Sumter.
Big thick. Impenetrable. I needed something more. An ally to come at this thing multiple ways.
In paddling, when I wanted to become faster, I would train and learn from the world's best. Fortunately I lived in the spots where they were close by. Or just happen to work alongside them. Able to soak up their knowledge, take their tips and apply them to my analytical mind. I would see results.
When I hired my coach, add any catchy title you'd like to it. Businesses development, holistic, life, mentor and so on. I had no idea I was hiring her. I just had this gut feeling and sense of support. And as I was processing through it all. There were numerous similarities of the teachings that paralleled my paddling coaches. I knew there would be results. But there also would be work. Grinding. Grueling. Frustrating. Tiresome. Work.
Yet the results may not be as glamorous as standing atop the podium with the champagne bottle. But the feeling that now exists inside. Lasts. Not just for a few moments and posts on Social Media. But for days. And when it dissipates. I have the tools to bring it back.
This has strengthened my personal life. Put my business world on steroids. And kick started my pursuit of athletics. I now have the confidence to take on any challenge. Knowing that if I fall flat on my face. There is a lesson. And if I don't fall. I will not have the regrets lingering over me. Of what if. This is why coaching is an integral part of my life. Thanks to Alex.
