Illness has been my recent wake up call! When illness crept into my life, it came with intense physical pain that slammed me to the ground. I went into pure resistance. "This can't happen to me, I am too positive of a person." Was I ever in for a surprise. After some time of pushing against a huge invisible wall of denial, along came some old friends: the victim, the martyr, the critic, the whiner, the judge. You name it, they all came. For a time they all came at once and had a party!

One morning, after one of these parties, I realized that I had some choices to make. I decided to shift my perspective on all levels. At first, I read a bunch of books and tried to be "the perfect" ill person. This meant the repression of all who attended my parties, which of course made these folks bigger and stronger. "I can't even do illness right!" I said to myself.

Ahhh, the victim, loud and clear! After some exhausting inner battles, I noticed that I hadn't shifted anything at all! Since I am an optimist by nature and a coach by profession I began to use the tools that I knew. I continued reading and used only the information that deeply resonated with me. I began to notice what was working in my life and was surprised to see that much of my life was in balance. I had awesome kids, a nurturing relationship with my spouse, and wonderful friends, etc.

Then, I focused on what was draining my energy. This was challenging. I had to ask for help. Not an easy thing for someone who had based their self worth on doing it all alone! Ahhh, and there was the martyr! So, after some minor sabotaging from the martyr, I began to ask for help. The amazing thing was that my family responded positively. Yes, even my teenage sons! Asking for help turned up the volume of my inner being. I began asking "What do I need right now?" and "What do I want?" I began listening closely.

As I listened to my body and followed through with what I needed, I began to experience a deep trust in myself. I did know what I needed. My body had been telling me the whole time. I just had stopped listening! As I listened to my body, I began to notice more and more of what inspired me. I gave myself permission to redefine wellness. I gave myself permission to find the gift my body was giving me. I gave myself permission to completely change how I was living my life. I began to celebrate, to play, to explore being in joy. I expressed this celebration in variety of ways; through art, journaling, in how I communicated, etc.

I am continuing in my healing process. Some days are better than others. Most days are awesome. I continue to create my life through listening, trusting and taking action from inspiration. Life coaching sometimes helps to turn up the volume of our own inner beings. This allows the inner being become our own guide in creating truly incredible lives, no matter what has jolted us awake. Perhaps, explore what coaching can do for your life!