Carole Ray Coaching

It’s been a while since I posted, mostly because I’ve been concentrating on working as a freelance writer and editor – when I took redundancy from the children’s charity in June 2010, I gave myself a year to try being freelance, to see how I liked it and whether I could make a living at it. Now that a year has gone by, amazing as it’s been (and occasionally stressful!), I’ve been trying to decide if I’m going to keep plugging away as a freelancer or look for permanent work…

Finding myself caught up in the maelstrom of comparisons that happen when you’re trying to make a big decision (money vs free time, independence vs security), I started to think about all the other things I’ve done with my year… Yes, there’s been work, there’s been money, there’ve been times of no work and no money – but I couldn’t believe all the other things I’d achieved!

I’d said when I left the charity that I wanted to work for a lawyer and a bank, to experience a different world – I haven’t worked for a lawyer yet but the bank has a big tick next to it – goal achieved! I wanted to work at festivals, doing something I loved but often couldn’t fit into my 9 to 5 working life – goal achieved! I’ve worked this summer and last at festivals all around the UK, doing a variety of things from building geodesic domes to manning ball pools to working with a welfare team. In achieving that goal, I even achieved another – I now know how to put up scaffolding! I wanted to go back to NZ for a few months for my great grandmother’s 109^th birthday – goal achieved! I even managed to do work for my UK clients while I was there – working holiday goal achieved!

It’s easy to see our decisions as black and white, revolving about sensible options and money and security, and in these recession-filled days, maybe that’s not a bad thing… But there’s more to our lives than work and pensions and payslips – and it’s usually the other goals we have that give our lives richness and meaning, that build our confidence and self-esteem… Working towards your goals, whatever they are, big or small, random (think of my scaffolding aspirations!) or strategic, is crucially important, and should never be lost beneath the murk of day-to-day detail…

We all feel happier and stronger and more confident when we achieve – spending a bit of time thinking about what you’ve done (and therefore what you’d still like to do) might be just what you need to help you leave the maelstrom of comparisons behind when making a big decision. By thinking about the past, you can actually move forward.

If you’d like a free, no-obligation 15-minute chat to see how coaching can help you achieve, then email me now at carole@caroleraycoaching.com