I wrote a blog for the mishfit website a little over two years ago in amongst the messy grief following Charles’ death. (You can read it HERE if you don’t know that whole story.) Reading it back now it feels very much like I was laying my grief out there for all to read and somehow hoping that in the process I would be able to figure out what the hell had just happened.
Once every 12-months (or so) I rock up to my gynaecologist to spend about 15 minutes of my life having my cervix scraped. And that day was today.
The reason that I go every year, as opposed to every two years like most other women in Australia is because I have a history of dodgy pre-cancerous cells in and around my cervix. And in the interests of public service I thought I’d share a little about what I’ve learned over the last nine years since my cells all started going a bit bonkers and I became increasingly phobic of having a speculum inserted in my vagina.
There have been a whole bunch of studies done on the power of writing out your thoughts. Try googling it.
But let me tell you about why I do it to see if that speaks to you. I dream like a mad-woman. I’m as busy in my dreams as I am in my day. And I remember pretty much every day what I’ve dreamt the night before. I can wake up in tears, shaking with fear, laughing or in shock. But I always dream. And because of the way dreams work it often triggers stuff that I need to work through. I write it down. And if I’ve had an argument with Andrew or I’m worried about the children or I’m exploring something for my business. I write them down too.
There is a wealth of science out there that supports why meditation is a good thing. Feel free to google, or just read this for a quick flavour of the stuff that’s out there.
Meditation has a long and complicated history via a couple of religions or philosophies. Here’s a link to a great timeline for anyone who wants more history detail.
I have been a woman for close to thirty years (I’m arguing that my ‘womanhood’ kicked off at about 14 years old along with my periods).
And I have been working really closely with women’s bodies at all stages of womanhood as a Personal Trainer and a Coach, for getting close to seven of those years.
The change process, the coaching journey…whatever you want to call what we do as I walk alongside you, is a tricky balancing-act. I’m going to be totally honest with you. Sometimes it gets messy. Emotionally challenging. We get into a whole bunch of stuff that sometimes we’d probably rather ignore, or at least pretend aren’t part of the puzzle.
You know how I have been saying for the last few weeks that change is hard? And that it works best when there’s a method in there somewhere? And most importantly of all, that once all the foundations have been laid with regards to values, visions and intentions then the magic only really happens when there’s action?
In my old corporate HR world I was all about my ‘five-year plan’ and having a set of very clear goals to work towards. I’ve even used goals A LOT in my Personal Training business – both personally and with my clients. If you’ve ever joined a gym you’ll be used to being asked what your fitness goals are. One of Nike’s adverts:
I was explaining in last week’s blog that becoming a better human was very much an inside job. It takes a lot of self work. It’s a process of introspection, increasing your self-awareness and figuring out some honest answers to some tough questions.
My take on coaching – what it is (really) and what is really isn’t. Why I think it works and why I believe in it.
If you’re thinking Football Coach, this article probably isn’t what you were searching for. I’m talking about the kind of coach that is a support and guide, voice of wisdom and person who holds a space for you while you figure out what you want, then walks alongside you on that journey.