You ever get that voice in your head that asks:

‘Am I doing the right thing with my life?’

Yes?

Well. Me too. A lot.

I had that voice show up today. It seems to return with more intensity in cycles.

These thoughts come faster and thicker as I try to seize a solution.

Should I keep coaching, or should I just drop it all and start a career as a fiction writer?

Or should I focus more on teaching classes and paint on the side?

But how will I make enough money?

Or maybe it’s best to move to…

Ever find yourself stuck on a really tricky decision?

No matter how hard you try and think about the right move, you just can’t wrap your head around what the right decision is.

I’ve been there many times.

What’s the right path?

When I’m in this state: ‘not-making-a-decision-central,’ I am not doing anything, I’m stressed, and there is no momentum in my life.

Not ideal.

Here’s an interesting idea:

What if there was no right or wrong choice?

Sure, sometimes we’re faced with a decision that is a no-brainer. …

A few days ago, I was coaching a group of twenty-five or so faces on my screen.

I’m new to speaking in front of larger groups online, and still get nervous before pressing ‘start Zoom meeting’. I’m learning though and always come away from these discussions invigorated.

The topic for that evening was passion.

What emerged quickly reflected my own struggles. It’s not always easy to be passionate about the projects we work on.

There are elements of a lot of our work that seems tedious, dry and uninviting.

What can we do to bring more passion into our work?

…

Do you know people who seem jaded as life goes on?

The more challenges they go through; the more time passes, the more they seem to lose that spark?

When we experience the world around us, it can very often seem like external things have the power to take something from us.

Dreadful news, the economy, trauma, mounting bills, familial stress, being repeatedly rejected; time itself.

Humans use clever metaphors to emphasise the sense that circumstances can steal from us:

‘It took a lot out of me,’ like we physically lose something to the ether.

‘I am drained of energy,’…

If you are busy most of the time, making little ground;

Running around in circles,

Making little traction.

Take note because there is an opportunity in this chaos.

Consider HOW you’re doing each task.

I once thought that the reason I wasn’t finding any momentum in my work was that I wasn’t doing the right thing.

I hunted around for better, cleverer techniques to make it work.

I rushed and spun several plates like an acrobat.

A dancing monkey.

I looked for better education, better mentoring and sharper tools.

Some of it helped, but in seeing success, nothing helped more…

You can’t fail if you do not quit.

Cute sayings aside, this is truth.

Perseverance and determination is key because — even if you feel like everyone around you is better than you — eventually they will quit.

You can be as talented, intelligent and enthusiastic as they come, but if you stop, you’re out.

If you keep doing something long enough, you cannot fail.

Now it’s all good and well to persevere, but what really adds magic to this is understanding the meaning of mastery.

If you are not committed to being the best in the world at what…

In tough times, one of the boldest things anyone can do…

…is to maintain a sense of humour.

At its core, this is your willingness to stay with what is right in front of us.

It’s not about trying to be funny — humour is part of who we are naturally.

‘Trying’ anything usually means the energy behind it is flat. When we find the courage to be present, we see we can connect with a real sense of joy in just being here.

Ever found yourself noticing something brilliant and funny and incredible in something simple and every-day, like…

What happens when we choose the ‘Zen’ approach to work and life?

Do we get docile and passive and unproductive?

What happens when we start placing greater emphasis on being mindful; more conscious and more present (all of which are the same thing, by the way)?

Does it mean we need to forego our ability to be productive and to get ahead?

I have thought this to be true.

Trapped in the prison of overthinking, I’ve been on the search for something more fulfilling and joyful for a long time.

The answer to much of my stress, anxiety and disharmony…