Perfectionist? Who me?

Lately I've been working with clients that have some perfectionist tendencies. Usually when I work with a client I will see my issues mirrored in them. When they tell me how much they are addicted to sugar I can totally relate. When they describe their love of chocolate...I'm right there with them. When they tell me they just don't have any time to take care of themselves, I tell them they are preaching to the choir. I get it!

But this perfectionism thing just didn't resonate with me. I just don't see myself as a perfectionist. I've had conversations with my friends and family about this and my comment is usually something like, "Well, I know I can't be a perfectionist because I don't do anything perfect, and it doesn't really bother me."

Well, this morning I was listening to an audio broadcast about perfectionism and something strange started to happen. I began to see myself fitting into the mold of perfectionism. What? How weird! As I scribbled my notes I got an uneasy feeling. Could it be? Could I really be a perfectionist? No, that just doesn't make sense.

But then the woman said two words that hit me like a ton of bricks. Suddenly it was so clear. It all made sense to me. Those two words were; perfectionist procrastinator! It perfectly describes me. It explains why I couldn't even see myself as a perfectionist because I procrastinate doing things until I can do them perfectly which of course we all know can't happen so I just don't do them. Ha! What an aha moment.

Now you might be wondering how as a health and wellness coach who specializes in working with women I could miss something so completely obvious about myself. Isn't that interesting? Well the truth is, it is so much easier to spot things in other people than it is ourselves.

Just last week I was working with one of my clients and I hit one of her issues on the head and she was taken back by my ability to see her so clearly when she had been unable to figure it out for herself. That's the beauty of working with a coach or a mentor. You get insight that you most often are unable to give yourself and you get support to work through the changes.

I work with a health and wellness coach myself. We meet every two weeks and she has been a Godsend for me. She sees things I can't see and she helps me look at things with a different perspective. When I am down she inspires me to pick myself up and keep going and when I am up she fuels my momentum. Even health coaches need health coaches.

What areas of your life could you use a little support in?

If you are interested in finding out more about how I can support you, contact me today and we can set up a free breakthrough session to uncover your goals begin making changes.

Inspirational Music on Monday

Here is a fun one!

Life Lessons From American Idol

If you watch American Idol, you're familiar with Lee Dewyze from Chicago. If you don't watch the show, I am including some videos for you.

Lee is a sweet guy with a really great voice. I have always liked him and have been rooting for him from the beginning. The thing about Lee is that he came on the show with a bit of a self esteem and confidence problem. He didn't believe in himself and he didn't realize how good he was. Check out this video to watch one of his earlier songs.





Pretty good, right? You can hear the nice quality of his voice but it's a bit lackluster. He looks scared to death and not really sure of himself. You can see it on his face, you can feel it in his performance.


Each week the judges would tell Lee that he has a great voice and that he just needs to believe in himself, to have some confidence, and to really allow himself to shine. It was as if Lee was hearing the words but not allowing them in. He wasn't owning it.


Then came his performance of Treat Her Like a Lady. It was like a different person was standing there in front of us. You could see the confidence on his face, he had a bit of swagger and he sounded amazing.



I felt it. I knew that something had shifted in him and he was believing in himself. It gave me goosebumps. I turned to my family with a big smile on my face and said, "He did it. He finally believes in himself!" Simon said to him, "This is the night that your life may have changed forever."







What a difference some self confidence can make!




I have been working with an amazing group of women who are currently going through the program at IIN. These women are bright, beautiful, healthy, strong, and so much more. They are going to be fantastic health coaches and the world is lucky to have them.




Some of these ladies remind me of Lee a little bit. They don't necesarily believe in themselves. They are afraid to put themselves out there and they worry that they don't know enough to go out and start seeing clients. Each week I tell them how they know as much as they need to know and that they are going to be fantastic. Sometimes they hear me and sometimes they don't.




Gaining self confidence is a journey and I know they are on their way. My greatest wish for them is to have that moment when it all comes together; to know that they are the amazing women that they are; to see themselves as others see them and to believe in themselves.




What about you? What area of your life could benefit from a self confidence boost? Maybe you're not the greatest singer in the world but I know for a fact that you have something you are good at, something that comes natural to you, or something that other people admire about you. How do I know? Because everyone has something. We are all here with something to share.




How would your life be different if you started believing in yourself? What are you waiting for? Start your journey today!