Driving Miss Daphne

Hello Dear Reader, how has your week been?

In this week's blog, I want to tell you a story. This story is about my client Daphne (name changed).

Daphne, or D as I will refer to her at times, came to me because she was exhausted. She loved her job, was committed to her family and her community. She earned a decent amount of money and was well liked by everyone around her, but something just didn't feel right. She felt stuck.

She would stay up in the evenings, scrolling on her phone or watching crappy TV to get a "break" after her family had all gone to bed. When she did go to bed her mind was racing, taking ages to fall asleep. When she woke up, D would often berate herself for how tired she felt, "god I should have just gone to bed earlier". She would then get everyone ready for school and work, rush around with the school run, working a full time job, keeping the house clean, answering emails, making sure everyone got to their various extracurricular activities, sitting on calls in her car, her kids wanting to play with her, her family wanting to know what was for dinner, rushing around all day until they all finally went to bed and she got some space. And so the cycle had continued for years.

When Daphne and I started working together, we did an exercise to understand what drives her, why does she do the things she does? I asked her before we started "What is the number one thing that gets you out of bed in the morning?"

D: "My family, I want them to have the best life possible."

As we went through the exercise, Daphne stopped and looked shocked. "I had never realised how much emphasis I put on my job, I thought I was doing everything for my family but my brain is always at work!"

With this clarity, we were able to build a programme together which realigned her with what she truly found important. She set boundaries with her colleagues which let her leave work at work. She asked for help from her family to share the load at home which meant more time for her actually spend time with them, instead of rushing around after them for once. It also allowed D to take time to be alone for a bit when she needed it. She was sleeping better, without mindless scrolling for hours before bed, she was eating better and generally feeling more well than she had for a long time.

All it took, was to be brave. She admitted she was tired and asked for help and she got it.

I wonder, Dear Reader, what would be possible for you if you stopped to take stock of where you are now verse where you hoped or wanted to be. Maybe you're bossing it and doing exactly the thing you've always wanted, feeling fabulous as you go. Maybe things aren't so great and you want a change, like Daphne.

If you've subscribed to my blog then you have access to the comments section at the bottom of each post, I'd love to hear what's going on for you and what Daphne's story reminded you of?

If anything resonates particularly strongly, maybe you need a chat. If that is the case then book a discovery call with me so we can see how I can support you.

I currently have three slots available on my 12 week coaching programme, maybe today is the day you take the bold step, like Daphne did, and say "Actually, I think I need some help".

Until next time Dear Reader x