By Melissa Swank, MPH, NBC-HWC, RYT-200
“What does it mean to manifest magnificence? Or to become the “best version of yourself”?
We read these tropes – on social media or in self- help books – but do we ever really stop to ask ourselves what they mean for us? It’s easy to go about your day without stopping to consider the simple truth: are you thriving or just surviving? More importantly, if it’s the latter, how do you change in a way that gets you where you want to be?
If you feel lost, hang on. I can help.
Before reading forward, pause and check in with yourself. Imagine existing in your daily life, but instead of following your current routine, you’re living the way you want to be living. What does that look like to you?
Take out a piece of paper and describe that vision. Get specific.
If you just kept reading or your response sounded something like, “I don’t know,” “How do I even answer that?” or even “I don’t feel like doing that right now,” you are not alone. In fact, the majority of my clients start there, too. Changing your current reality means knowing where you want to go, where you are now, and being ready to create a new path for yourself and for many, that’s a daunting ask.
Fortunately, coaching makes this process easier.
How does this work? Let’s use GPS as an example (since none of us can imagine going on a long journey without it!) To use GPS, you enter a destination and like magic, it plots your course. Some apps even generate multiple options, as if saying “There’s no right path — just several ways to get to the same location. How do you want to get there?” Along the way, GPS informs you of barriers, detours, and traffic – in essence, providing guidance and support to ensure you arrive at your intended destination.
When you seek to change your course in life, you use the same process. As your coach, I become your “personal GPS,” helping you identify where you are now, where you’re going, and how to get there in a way that fits your life, lifestyle, and values.
While this sounds simple, wellness journeys, just like road trips, often take time and hit roadblocks or detours that change the trajectory and pace of the process. Consider the last time you wanted to change a habit, like eating healthier or exercising more.
How easy was that change? What got in your way? Perhaps your schedule became too full to cook dinner, go grocery shopping, or make lunches. Perhaps other commitments took priority over the gym.
As your coach, we work together to both anticipate these hurdles before they occur and manage the moments and circumstances that take you off course, helping you pivot and realign in real life. It’s my job to help you create and implement a plan that keeps you working toward your goals while pivoting to deal with set-backs and frustrations along the way.
Even more, coaching acknowledges that wellness goes beyond changing your diet or activity levels. We delve deep to unlock your inherent motivation for creating sustainable change for yourself by including exploration of mental, physical, emotional, social, environmental, and occupational health.
Together, these reflects your personal health and wellness needs, which are as unique as a fingerprint. Just as you would never rely on a friend’s medicine cabinet to resolve your all health issues, coaching embraces the individualized path you walk, including the people, goals, and values you prioritize in life.
Now, I invite you to recall vision of yourself that you imagined when you started reading this article. What will it take to get there? Maybe a coach is part of your answer. Perspective, support, accountability, and the proper tools set you up for a successful journey and lasting change. The only thing stopping you from becoming your best self is putting the key in the ignition.
If you are ready to discover the magnificence you already embody, let’s schedule a discovery call.
The Well Being / St. Louis, MO / 314-954-8338 melissa@thewellbeingstl.com / thewellbeingstl.com
