I decided I wanted to run my own business when I was in my first year in college. I started working towards it right away.

Starting a business comes with a hefty side of uncertainty and hustle. Of course, right? And I was ready to do what it takes to make it work.

So For me the past few years were all PUSH PUSH PUSH, gotta move forward, have to make it work. Don’t get me wrong, I prioritized ease and enjoying the moment too – which is what a lot of my coaching work is about.

But now looking back I can see that those years have not only moved me forward by leaps and bounds – they have also taken a lot out of me.

It’s easy to go unnoticed, but when we set out to make big changes to follow our dreams we often use up more energy than we put back in. Think of is a storage battery that runs lower and lower. Each time you take a big leap or have to deal with a bunch of uncertainty, it goes down quite a chunk. Self-care, taking things slow and taking weekends off help recharge your energy, but only very slowly.

There comes a point when we’ve used up so much energy that our battery is running low.

For me for example, I started college three years ago, realized it wasn’t for me, went soul searching to figure out what was, discovered I wanted to be a life coach, started coaching for free and eventually got my first clients, coached freestyle for two years and then signed up for a coach training to take it to the next level. Somewhere along the way I also started this blog, switched majors, dropped out of college and went broke several times.

Phew. Writing it down like that does make it kind of obvious that I may be in need for a break, even if I don’t constantly feel exhausted or stressed out.

But the battery is certainly running low.

Has this happened to you too?

If this post resonated with you, I recommend you try this little exercise. All you need is a journal and a pen.

Five years ago in 20__ I __________________________________________. I did __________ and ___________ and ______________ happened too. Looking back I’d say it was a year of ___________________________.

Four years ago in 20__ I __________________________________________. I did __________ and ___________ and ______________ happened too. Looking back I’d say it was a year of ___________________________.

Three years ago in 20__ I __________________________________________. I did __________ and ___________ and ______________ happened too. Looking back I’d say it was a year of ___________________________.

Two years ago in 20__ I __________________________________________. I did __________ and ___________ and ______________ happened too. Looking back I’d say it was a year of ___________________________.

Last year (20__), I __________________________________________. I did __________ and ___________ and ______________ happened too. Looking back I’d say it was a year of ___________________________.

Reading through what I just wrote I feel ________________________________________.

It feels as though all these events together have made my inner battery run low even if I tried to take good care of myself. That’s just a lot of stuff happening.

I may not always be feeling tired, but I can see that I am in need of a break. Maybe right now is a time for slowing down. What would feel really good and easeful would be to ______________________ .

 

If you need something more enjoyable to do now, here’s an exercise I love to appreciate how far I’ve come.