LIFE LOVES ME
Life loves me.
I find myself accepting
of a Higher Power
and am aware
of caring in my relationships
with others.
Life supports me.
I am open to experiencing pleasure
and joy in daily living
I see my goals clearly and attain
those that bring me happiness.
Life enfolds me.
I am filled with right ideas
and believing am ready to succeed
I am comfortable and beyond fear.
Life loves me.
I maintain inner harmony
and perfect health.
I consistently experience enthusiasm
and high energy.
Life supports me.
I accept that I do not have all the answers
and believing recognise my life’s path.
By: Yolanda McAdam
Yolanda is a practising LIFE COACH focusing on self-development and confidence and assertiveness training. Yolanda says: “I coach individuals and also train wannabe coaches. To define 'life coaching' - a life coach will help the client 'move forward' in life by helping them overcome perceived obstacles.”
Life Coaching
I’m often asked ‘Why do people need life coaches?’ and ‘What can a life coach do for me?’ A life coach by definition is someone who helps you ‘move forward’. He or she will provide you with the necessary tools and support to help you set and achieve goals. But most importantly a life coach will help you overcome obstacles.
A life coach however is not a therapist and any coach worth his or her salt will refer you to one should your spirit be grievously shot with emotional or psychological wounds.
Most of my clients say to me that they find themselves in a ‘crisis’ situation. They feel frustrated, disconnected, unappreciated, bored or ‘stuck’. They are in a ‘bad’ relationship, a ‘dead-end’ job or ‘lost’. The ancient Chinese had a wise word for crisis. Wei-chi.
A combination of the words danger and opportunity. These times of crisis should be used as opportunities to develop and grow, to learn more about oneself.
We tend to avoid pain as much as we avoid change. But how can we expect to live complete lives without experiencing both joy and pain? Like we experience night and day.
It is in times of great challenge that our strength and character is revealed.
Everyone wants the same thing. Truth, love and joy. In that order.
Learning to live authentically means accepting that we are all born with the answers and that we already possess everything we need for the journey of life.
You have to reconnect with your inner self.
We hear this phrase often enough nowadays. But think about it. How many people do you know that are in touch with their emotions and are living extraordinary lives? Do you live your life with a constant sense of expectancy? Are you mapping your course? Or are you sailing with no destination in sight?
Live your questions. Sarah Ban Breathnach makes this profound statement in her wonderful book, Simple Abundance.
We have been taught to believe that we cannot possibly know what the future holds for us. That we are not all born to be a Picasso or a Mark Shuttleworth; that not everyone is talented or gifted. The truth is quite simply that we are all what we think we are. And if we have had our ears twisted enough and our flights of fancy interrupted enough then we believe that we can’t do what other super humans seem to do everyday. At some point most of us convince ourselves that we are mutations of the most awkward and useless kind and we won’t amount to anything.
People who visit life coaches are inevitably people in pain. Change is only possible once you have reached a pain threshold. Once your brain and spirit acknowledge that you cannot live a life of pain and self-sabotage then you are ready to begin the process of rediscovery.
I love my work because I love helping people find purpose and meaning. My life for example has taught me that the road is never straight. That it has many twists and turns and some unexpected forks. I was twelve when my parents left me with my paternal grandmother. I was fed, clothed and ignored in that order for many years. No matter how hard I tried to please my guardian or how well I did at school, I got nothing but a cold shoulder and cynicism.
It took me years to understand that you are more than your environment and that circumstances can shape you only if you allow them to. Certainly it is our decisions and not the conditions of our lives that determine our destiny. We have a greater chance at success only if we find relevance or purpose in what we do and choose to experience. As Nietzsche wrote:
He who has a why to live can bear with any how.
I teach my clients to feel with their hearts and belly. The head you see is great for reasoning and programming but it is the heart that pumps emotion. Let’s say you met this fabulous man at a party and he asks you out on a date. You arrive at the restaurant on time looking mighty fine and fresh. Time ticks on by and your fabulous date doesn’t pitch so you’re now looking like a dehydrated hydrangea in the corner table. Your head will start reasoning that perhaps he took a wrong turn or because he did not arrive he’s not the guy for you and luckily fate intervened. Your heart however will try to be compassionate; ‘maybe his favourite pet passed away and he is inconsolable’ or better yet your heart will say something like ‘why don’t I go home put on that sad CD my mom gave me for Christmas and drink a bottle of plonk.’
But have you ever noticed how your gut reacts when you are agitated or upset? Your gut will churn and you will feel angry and betrayed. Our most primitive and basic responses originate in the gut. Unfortunately because of socialization humans find it difficult to follow their gut instincts or feelings. We tend to focus on what others may think or say if we actually got up and stormed out of the restaurant leaving behind a trail of fireworks. As many healers will tell you there is a link between grave illnesses and stifled emotions.
Emotions are powerful and precise and it is by following them that we learn to make ‘right choices’.
It has never been easier to master your life. Self-help books can help to a degree but what most people need is a push. A life coach will kindly but firmly nudge you out of your complacency and get you living the life you were born to live.
Yolanda McAdam
Cell: 072-113-2374
Email: y.mcadam@worldonline.co.za