by DLCC Coach Ndidi Yaucher
There are certain events that completely throw a curveball in your life. They can affect your work, health, and relationships and leave you feeling unbalanced. I have worked with a number of clients affected by life-changing events who reach out for coaching to find balance and get themselves back on track.
Coaches are not immune from such events. Last year, I experienced a life changing event that had me feeling off-balance and off-track. About this time last year, I received an emergency phone call that my mother fell acutely ill and was rushed to a local hospital in Colorado. My siblings and I hopped on planes and flew out there to learn about her prognosis and take care of her.
As we spent the next few days with her, we were relieved that she was making progress and doing much better. We made plans to go back home with the goal of flying back out a week later. Unfortunately, her health took a turn for the worse and she passed a few days later.
The loss of my mother threw me completely off course. She and I were close and she was my support. To honor my mom’s wish, we traveled out of the country to bring her “back home”. We were fortunate to reunite with relatives that we had not been in touch with for many years, but it did put a long, unexpected pause on my work and life at home.
The events of the past year have taught me a lot about myself. I have been feeling off and on track for months. I have had days where I felt super focused and productive and others where I can barely make it through the day. Coaching has taught me to be self-aware and know when to push myself to be productive and when to be gentle and forgiving.
My goal for the year is balance. Balance can be interpreted differently by different people. For some, balance could be adjusting between work and personal life. For others, balance is being more present. For me, balance means slowly getting my life back to normal after experiencing such a significant event.
Coaching can help us get through hard moments by building our self-awareness and learning how to handle the highs and lows. Although I will continue to fall off now and again, in the end I still have a plan to get me through.
