Here are some life coaching hacks/pieces of advice that I have picked up over the years as a coach.
As always, take what resonates and leave the rest behind.
1. Never underestimate the power of tiny.
Last year, I remember laboring through the prompts of my annual 31-day journaling challenge and breathing a big sigh of relief when it was over.
This year, I launched Yutori where I crafted tiny journals to go with the 31 prompts.
Filling up the small space has been quick—and incredibly satisfying. It makes me excited to write. I can already feel that I will miss this practice when I finally complete it (I’m actually running behind and will probably finish the tiny journal sometime this week).
Don’t underestimate the magic of tiny steps and tiny actions. They may seem small and insignificant today but they do add up and make a difference through the weeks, months, and years.
As Sheryl Sandberg said, “Getting from point A to point Z can be daunting unless you remember that you don’t have to get from A to Z. You just have to get from A to B. Breaking big dreams into small steps is the way to move forward.”
2. Expand your emotional vocabulary.
This is one of the practices I teach in my journaling workshops.
I share this tool that I picked up from my daughter’s school writer’s workshop. It’s called the Feelings Wheel and it helps you expand your emotional vocabulary beyond happy, sad, mad or bad.
When you are specific about how you feel, you can then know what to do next—whether that’s accepting and acknowledging the emotion and moving on without attaching a story to it OR taking action so you can transition back to a state of equilibrium, neutrality, or even joy.
Mad=Angry=Hangry—>The right action: Eat
Bad=Stressed=Overwhelmed—>The right action: Take deep breaths and break your to-do list down into smaller pieces
Sad=Vulnerable=Victimized—>The right action: Explore your stories about being a victim. Speak up. Find ways to empower yourself by remembering your strengths, achievements, contributions, values.
3. This is one of my favorite questions from Yutori.
Instead of writing a to-do list, write a to-be list. What five words would appear on that list?
My list would include: LOVING * HEALTHY * CREATIVE * INSPIRED * WAYFINDER * LIGHT.(Haha. I know they’re six words. You can add an extra word or two if you want as well.)
In knowing who and how you want to be, you can then align your thoughts, intentions, habits, and actions with these words.
4. A mindset shift from Ted Lasso
One of the characters was talking about a challenging moment in his life and he said, “It didn’t happen to me. It happened for me.”
When I think about the tough times that I have gone through, I realized that they too happened for me.
What would shift for you if you took this perspective?
