Proof that everything can go right

I have about a million other things I could be doing right now, but the only thing I actually want to do is to sit down and write this story for you. I’m so excited and happy for my client, Amelia, that I’m almost buzzing (and I can assure you that I am not known for giddiness).

A few years ago, when my life was a blur of confusion, exhaustion, and anxiety playing out in an unfulfilling work environment, all I wanted was some sort of proof.

I wanted assurance that life didn’t have to be this way. I needed evidence that it was possible to not only discover my passion in life, but that it was also possible to then go do whatever it was I cared about.

I know very intimately what it’s like to crave proof, which is why I’m so excited to share Amelia’s story with you. It’s the proof you might need right now, and it’s most certainly the evidence I needed back then.

IT STARTED 6 MONTHS AGO

When I first start working with someone, I ask them to fill out a short questionnaire that helps me get to know them and allows them to organize their thoughts and feelings.

This is straight from what Amelia wrote in her questionnaire 6 months ago about her biggest current fears:

1. “Starting a new business is scary and daunting. I have concerns about being able to take the next steps needed to explore this idea, as well as financial concerns.”
2. “That going through this coaching process will not result in lasting changes that contribute to steering myself in a positive direction.”
3. “I have concerns that making a change in my career, including leaving a stable job at a large and respected organization, will just lead me to a unhappy career situation or a detour that sets back my professional path.”

And when I asked her to share what causes her to feel energized and excited, she wrote:

“Trying new activities, cooking and creating new recipes, meeting new people, traveling (especially new places or spontaneous trips), organizing trainings and facilitating learning, connecting people together with common goals, brainstorming ideas and solutions with others, reading, creating organization from clutter, creating efficient systems, working with students/education.”

THIS IS WHERE SHE’S AT NOW

That business she was afraid of starting? It’s gone from a vague idea to beta testing with hundreds of people and products (I tested it … it’s fantastic!). She and her business partner have a fabulous, supportive relationship, and they’ve made connections with some big-time influencers who will be paramount to growing their business on an international scale.

Her fears about leaving her unfulfilling job? She’s moving to India in July to do what she describes as her “dream job” … helping manage the process of bringing educational programs to girls in under-developed countries. In fact, this job was made for her by the organization after they met her. It didn’t exist before! When she told me about getting this job offer, she said, “This job description is better than any I could have written for myself.” Not only that, but this job involves almost everything she said caused her to feel energized and excited, including world travel.

And her worries about being able to maintain lasting change? She said, “I literally don’t recognize the person who wrote that questionnaire. I was so afraid of making a wrong move that I’d somehow tricked myself into believing that staying put and not changing was better. Clearly that was CRAZY! My life is exactly the opposite of everything I feared would happen.”

AMELIA IS NOT AN OUTLIER

The first thing I used to think when I read stories like Amelia’s was, “That must be nice for her, but that won’t happen for me,” or “She must have gotten really lucky.”

I didn’t know any better back then, but I know for certain now … Amelia is not “special” or “lucky” or one-in-a-million. Not only could I tell you a similar victim-to-victory story about my life, but I could tell you countless stories about other people I’ve coached and met whose story looks the same.

This kind of profound change is readily available to anyone. And in my experience, there’s only one basic “qualification” that you need in order to go from “victim” to “victor”:

Your willingness to question your fear, consistently.

THIS ALWAYS WORKS

Here’s what happens when you start questioning the validity of what you fear:

• You’ll start believing that you and your fear are two separate things.
• You’ll stop believing that everything you want is impossible.
• You’ll get sick of settling for less.
• You’ll stop over-thinking everything and just take action, despite nervousness.
• You won’t worry nearly so much about what other people think.
• You’ll create opportunities for yourself that would never have existed before.

Nothing that’s happened in Amelia’s life in the past 6 months would have happened if she’d bought into her fear.

Her business would never have gotten off the ground, because it was “too daunting.”

She would never have interviewed for the company in India, because it’s not a “well-known, stable organization.”

She would never have made lasting changes if she kept fearing that it was impossible to make profound life shifts.

I am so proud of her for proving herself completely wrong … in only 6 months.

IT’S CLEAR THAT WE LOVE PEOPLE LIKE AMELIA

I asked Amelia what advice she would give herself (and anyone else reading her story). She said, “Trust that making a change is better than staying put. You can’t go wrong by moving forward … only by refusing to change.”

I doubt I could say it better!

It’s no secret that I, and Kristen, love working with people like Amelia. So, if you can relate to the fear, confusion, and anxiety that Amelia felt before all of the profound changes happened in her life … we’re eager to meet you!

In case you didn’t know, we’re bringing back the Passion Power Hour.

We love our virtual programs, but there’s something special about having a 1-on-1 conversation. It’s time dedicated solely to you and your life, with someone who you can trust knows how to get you where you want to go.

For a long time, we haven’t had an easy way to “try on” the coaching experience before committing to anything major. This makes up for that, with more than an hour of 1-on-1 time with one of us, a personalized debrief of your Passion Profile Quiz result, and the ability to apply the entire cost of the experience to future 1-on-1 coaching.

If you feel this might be perfect timing for you, we invite you to check it out. We only do around 10 of these sessions per month, so if you’re intrigued and want to get on the schedule in the next few weeks, the time is now:

We hope you’ll join us for a Passion Power Hour. But even if you don’t, we hope you’ll come over to the comments section and tell us what you think of Amelia’s story!

Much love,

Rachel (+ Kristen)