So a lot of what I talk to my clients about is the idea that we should be working towards wellness, rather than away from illness. And yet, this past few weeks, I have to admit that I haven’t done too well in this space myself.

As a life and wellness coach, my hypocrisy meter has been going off a little. I’ve been thinking of Russ Harris’ quote a lot, where he says:

I don’t want you to think I’ve got my life completely in order. It’s more as if you’re climbing your mountain over there and I’m climbing my mountain over here. It’s not as if I’ve reached the top and I’m having a rest. It’s just that from where I am on my mountain, I can see obstacles on your mountain that you can’t see. So I can point those out to you, and maybe show you some alternative routes around them.’

I’ve had to coach myself to gain some perspective on my own mountain. I’ve been very tired recently. It turns out this is because my iron levels have dropped really low. Anyone who has experienced low iron levels will no doubt understand this. What this has meant is that I’ve had to practice a greater level of self-care than usual and I’ve had to practice self-compassion. This has meant addressing my self-talk and not beating myself up about not setting a brilliant example, or about not being able to be superwoman (not that I have any illusions of grandeur here!). I have practiced some of the stress management strategies I talk about, with ‘avoid’ being one I’ve used a bit, saying ‘no, not this week’ to a few non-essentials.

Please don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely not as bad as all that (far from!) and quite easily managed. However, it has highlighted to me once again how critical self-care is, how critical it is to fit your own oxygen mask first, and how important it is to work towards wellness, NOT away from illness.

I’ve also learned just how many women have experienced low iron levels at some stage in their lives. What’s lovely is that by showing my vulnerability, others have felt comfortable to do the same and we’ve had some great conversations that have been mutually valuable, supportive and informative.

In closing, I’d like to ask you a few questions:

• What do you tell others to do and then not do yourself?
• How can you change this?
• What will you do to move towards wellness?

I'm working on my own strategies as you read this!

Warmest wishes,

Laurenne

Melbourne Based Life and Wellness Coach

In her TED talk, Patti Dobrowolski discusses the power of drawing to help turn your desired future into reality. This is the power of visioning.

Patti’s ideas are consistent with one of Stephen Covey’s Habits, that being to ‘Begin with the End in Mind’. Both talk about how it’s critical to have a clear picture, or a blue-print if you like, of what you would like your life to look like. Having a clear picture of your future state helps you to understand the gap between where you are now and where you would like to be. This works on the principle that we need to create things twice, a mental creation first and a physical creation to follow. 

Patti’s talk is interesting in that she discusses the way drawing can trick your brain. People are wired to consider risk and we can spend quite a bit of time rationalising all the reasons we shouldn’t change, the reasons not to strive for our desired future. We can agonise over the risks and obstacles we may encounter on the way. Patti highlights that when we draw, we use our imagination and this triggers the right side of our brain, the creative side of our brain. This can instantly help us to tap into creative solutions we may not have considered if we were to work only with our ‘rational brain’.

This isn’t to say we shouldn’t consider risk, just that by visioning, we can sometimes come up with creative ways to overcome obstacles. Drawing our desired future can help us to create a more effective roadmap to take us from our current state to our desired future state.
If you would like to watch Patti Dobrowolski’s TED talk ‘Draw Your Future – Take Control of Your Life,’ click here.

For other visioning methods and ways to create a life you love, click here.

If you would like some support, I would love to help. Please call me for a me for a confidential chat (0413 776 564).

Warmest wishes,

Laurenne Di Salvo
Melbourne based Life and Wellness Coach