Joy Let Loose

April 11, 2022

7 Signs it’s Time to Hire a Life Coach (and Discover Your Purpose)

Why is it that some people seem so focused and purposeful, and that I feel so chaotic and overwhelmed? If I hire a life coach, how would it help me live with greater purpose?

I used to think that to hire a Life Coach was a dumb idea. Why in the world would I spend money to get someone to tell me how to do my life? “I am decent at living – don’t really need help with that, thank you very much.” Ha!

Well, hindsight is 20/20, isn’t it?

At some point along the way, sitting in the middle of a fog of depression, lack of motivation and clarity, I realized I probably could have used help sooner.

How did I even get here?

Well, my pride had gotten the best of me, making me think I could figure out my life and purpose on my own. I didn’t want anyone’s help.

Looking in the rearview mirror, I see that I missed the clues that could have shown me it was a good idea to hire a Life Coach.

Do you see any of these clues? Friend, don’t ignore them like I did, ok?

https://joyletloose.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/7-signs-its-time-to-hire-a-life-coach.mp4

1. You always answer the question, “How are you?” with “Sooo busy!”

Ooff. Anyone else realize how much we idolize busyness? Like full agendas and breathlessness are virtues or something. Almost like if we aren’t over-scheduled, we’re not doing it right.

When was the last time you looked at your calendar from a position of peace, and not from a place of perpetuity or pandemonium? (Do you like all the alliterations?)

Friend, ask yourself these honest questions:

  • Is there a void you are trying to fill with your busyness?
  • Are you afraid of quietness?
  • What exactly do you think that busyness says about you?

Get curious about those.

2. You live in a state of chaos or overwhelm

This relates to #1, but it’s not entirely the same. Chaos and overwhelm are regular companions.

Chaos: a state in which everything is out of order

Overwhelm: incapacitating emotional or mental stress

Do either (or both) of those sound familiar? Things out of order & disorganized? The inability to move because everything is tooo stressful?

This is not how you were created to live, friend. This does not reflect the peace and the joy that Christ offers to us in this life.

Your life coach can ask gentle, hard questions to help you to uncover what’s behind these things, and point you in a healthy direction forward. We don’t need to live in fight, freeze, or flight mode.

3. You can’t articulate your personal mission statement

You’re not alone in this one. I’ve actually found that far more businesses than individuals can articulate a mission statement.

A mission statement actually points us out of chaos. It helps us align our direction with our values. Developing one is honestly one of the most clarifying tools I have found in building a life of joy and purpose.

4. You feel like you’ve lost yourself in motherhood

Mamas. Motherhood is a beautiful gift. And with the number of friends I know who yearn for the opportunity, I sometimes struggle to call moms out of the crowd for fear of hurting someone else.

But mamas – we know that motherhood is a gift, and also so hard. And it’s so easy to get lost in the busyness and the mundane day-in-day-out of it. And when multiple kiddos rule our every moment, we sometimes forget to function as unique individuals. We can’t think, we can’t stay rested or tidy, and the goal of keeping everyone alive and fed so easily takes over every other thing.

It also often lures us into escape mode, which is definitely not ideal.

Because God created us even before He created our kids. And we have unique passions, gifts, and skills that are not only meant for our families, but for people outside of our families as well. We are made for community, and we have special roles to play in the community to bless others, and for advancement of the Kingdom.

If we limit ourselves to just our homes for the period of 18-25 years or so that we have our brood growing under our roofs, we will easily lose sight of the impact we can simultaneously have on people outside of our homes.

(PS This is not a SAHM vs Working Mom convo. This is a purposeful woman convo – and purposeful women can work outside the home or stay at home. It comes down to living with intentionality into the specific thing God calls us to.)

You just don’t have to put it off until the kids are grown.

5. You want to discover your unique radiance in the world

This relates closely to #4, but is definitely not only for moms.

Maybe you aren’t even sure what your unique value-add in the world would be. You haven’t necessarily clarified for yourself what it is about you that makes you you. You aren’t sure what it is that you could do, or how you could live on purpose to make a difference in someone else’s life. You have a sense that there is more, but you’re not sure what it is

A Life Coach is uniquely called and qualified to help you uncover these things about yourself so you can be set loose to radiate.

6. When you imagine yourself in 2, 5, or 10 years, the picture is fuzzy

Oh gosh, friend! We are invited to dream with clarity, with imagination, with vivid color! Our God is so creative. And if we are made in His image (spoiler alert: we ARE) then that means we get to dream about our future and joyfully plan for it; Not obscure, vague dreams, but clear, on-purpose ones.

If you aren’t sure how to give yourself this kind of permission, it’s time to hire a life coach who can really help you get out of your head and into the world!

7. You really would love to redesign your life and vocation to be something you love, but you have no idea how.

You know those people who seem to thrive at life? Or who seem to be able to create the exact life that they want to live, blending vocation seamlessly with passion?

Maybe they are working from home or on the road, and it never seems like “work”.

Maybe they are visiting lots of fantastic places.

Maybe they are having a crazy meaningful impact on people, doing what really makes them thrive, and makes the people around them light up.

–> How do you think they got to build that kind of life? Not accidentally, I assure you.

Instead, they decided that their future self was worth investing in now.

They decided that fear and insecurity weren’t going keep them stuck anymore in a place of discontentment.

They got brave, challenged their uncertainties, became creative about resources, and dove in.

(And they aren’t looking back, are they?)

That kind of confident, vibrant, meaningful living isn’t just for a select few – in fact, I believe it’s really the way we are intended to live. God created us to be masterpieces, and He created good works for us to do.

With such a kind, vibrant, colorful, imaginative, and abundant God, I just can’t see that He meant for us to live in gray monotony. It doesn’t fit His character.

BONUS reason: You are at a point of transition in life, and transition feels scary.

You know what? Transition doesn’t have to be scary. It can actually be a thrilling gateway to something new.

But it does take wisdom and care to proceed. And it often takes another perspective to help us see past our blind spots. It takes the nudging and confidence boosting from a third party (or even a couple of third parties) to help us quell the limitations and do. the. thing.

Life Coaching and Purpose

I became a Life Coach because I truly believe that we are made to thrive at life, and that a purposeful, colorful life now is possible as we build a joyful & lasting legacy.

I love to come alongside women to ask the questions and help them move from chaos and overwhelm into simplicity and insane purpose.

I love to help women create the calendar that makes them light up, do the things that they love that most fully radiate who God created them to be.

If you are curious at all about what it would look like for you to get brave now to invest in your soon-to-be future self and hire a life coach, man alive, I’d LOVE to dream about that with you!

I’m easy to find right here, and it would be my JOY to talk about this with you!

Here for your JOY and PURPOSE!

April 5, 2022

Where are you showing up today?

When you choose to show up in another person’s life, you may leave a forever imprint.

You showing up lets joy loose. So where are you showing up today?

Building legacy

This gentleman, Othillo, was an immigrant into Canada from the Czech Republic. He became a close friend of my parents’ back in the early 1970’s.

He and his wife didn’t have children, but they treated my older sister and me like their own.

Showing up with joy

Othillo had endless jokes, laughter, energy, and the kind of creativity we absolutely thrived upon. He told stories, built us forts, laid hopscotch down on his carpet with painter’s tape, and could incorporate chocolate milk into breakfast like nobody else.

The wheelbarrow game was one of our favorites, and his desire to let joy loose in us imprinted me deeply.

This film was recorded about 43 years ago and Othillo’s joy still echoes in me.

Showing up with legacy

It’s part of what I remember as I answer the call to let joy loose around me.

  • Let joy loose.
  • Live your legacy on purpose.

Tell me in the comments: Where are you showing up today?

Posted in: Legacy, Purpose