Hello Reader,

It’s time. Time for a shift. I’ve been feeling it for a while but have resisted. I don’t want to give up the old but I know I must in order to make way for the new.

Homeostasis kept me hiding in the comfortable, chugging along, waiting for the “new” to present itself. Now it’s apparent. The new has revealed itself. In its revealing, I’ve realized what needs to happen: it’s time to end my weekly blogs.

I’ve played around the edges of this for a while, hinting at it here and there, yet I refused to give up the familiar. Weekly writing created a cadence that brought structure to my life as I transitioned from working at companies with set hours and processes to working for myself.

Adversity

Seneca said, “No man is more unhappy than he who never faces adversity. For he is not permitted to prove himself.”

I’ve faced adversity the past few years. Until I actually had to build my own business from scratch, I didn’t – couldn’t – truly appreciate what it means to create something from the ground up.

I found tools to assemble what I needed, exercises, visualizations, assessments, and so on. I studied mindset and leadership. I learned about business development, marketing, and, yes, even accounting which, as anyone who knows me can attest, is not my strong suit!

Insights Gained

I needed these challenges to become who I am today. Writing Life fully loved helped me develop my thought leadership on coaching. Using Arthur Brooks’s language in From Strength to Strength, it helped me transfer from fluid intelligence to crystallized intelligence. In consequence, I’m stronger nowadays than I was when I started this business. Definitely more confident.

I know now that you can do what you love and get paid for it. I had a mistaken belief that I’d be poor if I actually did what I wanted. Sounds crazy but I had a lot of messed-up beliefs, particularly around money.

It’s been fun, too. I feel more connected, whole, and open in a way I never did before. I can be my authentic self, without a filter. HR and project management contained elements of who I was but they served a larger purpose, for me to become a coach. In hindsight, I can see that I was always slightly filtered wearing those lenses.

My Vision

I want to build a kinder, gentler world. That’s my vision. My way of doing it is through people. Making sure they’re doing what they’re meant to do and, if not, helping them find what fulfils them.

Next, I want to get the right people on the bus, as Jim Collins says in Good to Great, by putting the right leaders in the right organizations for them, meaning ones in which they experience a cultural fit.

Finally, I enjoy developing these leaders through coaching so they can be the best they can be. It’s very clear there isn’t one type of leader that succeeds. There are many types and their success comes from knowing who they are and what they want.

“A rising tide lifts all boats,” as Kennedy said.

By nurturing my clients, they build the capacity to fulfil their visions. It’s a positive, virtuous cycle that I know will make the world a better place, one filled with abundance, not scarcity, compassion, not judgement.

Life fully loved

Next week, I’ll explain where this blog is heading but today was about sharing my journey. I’ve loved it – the writing, podcast, and videos – and love you for joining me. May you all find ways to lead a life fully loved. I’ve found mine.

Love,

Laura

P.S. Here's today's audio version of this edition:

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