6.5 Years In and Still Going! Energizer Bunny Dave! True Grit!

Today, appropriately enough, a MONDAY that does not suck, is a milestone day for me.

6.5 years ago, I left my first half of my life career to pursue my second half of my life business ????

My businessman ?? card says that I am a Life Coach and Life Storyteller

Really long story short, I used my mid-life crisis as a mid-life catalyst to become a mid-life entrepreneur

It has been quite the emotional roller coaster ?? ride since. I know that is cliché.

I was under the impression when I decided to embark on this journey of mine that, like one of my fellow coaches who has just set out on his journey, it “marries my interests and strengths”

Turns out everything was new to me back then. If I wanted to explore this new interest, I would have to build a lot more strengths. So, I had a lot of learning to do. My favourite John Wayne Movie ?? is True Grit. I needed all of the Grit (Passion and perseverance) that I could summon to keep at it over the years. Years when I was a single co-parent with two beautiful children in private high school.

But keep at it, I did. It took me 6 years before I was ready to truly believe that this was my calling. There were a lot of self-doubts and anxiety ?? and fear ?? along the way.

I only now realize that I had a lot of work to do on myself than I could ever have imagined. A whole lot more than I had originally thought ?? when I first embarked on my Journey.

In addition to Life Coaching (my coaching qualifications are on my profile on LinkedIn. I am at 250 hours of Coaching experience) I am also big time into Life Storytelling. The two are at the opposite ends of the connecting with people spectrum, so I have had to deal with conflict between the two, but I am starting to get the hang of leveraging this mix. Finally. ??

As I reflect back on these past 6.5 years. ?I would say that these were the 3 biggest Gifts ?? ?? ?? that I received from exploring Coaching along with my Coaching Community of Caring.

The 3 essential elements that I was missing from my Life that coaching has helped me improve upon are …

1.??????My personal foundation which had fallen apart after years of neglect and needed to be rebuilt

2.??????Some key People skills which I had never really bothered to learn ??. Listening. Questioning. Acknowledging. Challenging. Etc. All of the biggies ??

3.???????Last but not least. My EQ.?I like to joke about how I used to have the EQ (Emotional Intelligence) of a lawn chair ??. It was next to impossible to Coach and Connect with others (not to mention maintain a relationship with a woman) until I did the work - which I am still doing - to become more intelligent and self-aware and aware of others on that front.

So there you go

That is my 6.5 year milestone story ??

Oh! And … just one more addition. In hindsight, there was one pillar of my personal foundation that never wavered. That was my role as a Father to my two beautiful children, Shayne and Emily. They were always there for me as I did the work that it took to turn my life around.?Not just one part of my Life, almost every part of it, especially, little, older and wiser me. ??

I am so grateful to those two and me and all of the people who have been there for me over the past 6.5 years

I am truly blessed

Cheers!

Dave

Life Coach & Life Storyteller