May 17th, 2012
People ask me what I do. I tell them I’m a life coach. Instead of answering their question, this response often generates a confused look.
The confused then follow up by asking, What’s a life coach?
As a life coach, I encourage, and help, people to climb the mountains in their lives.
By the way, an epic life is not a perfect life. An epic life is a life lived on purpose. Living on purpose is not easy. If it were, everyone would be doing it.
To live on purpose is to experience struggle, sometimes frequently. It’s hard saying yes; it’s hard saying no; it’s hard letting people in; it’s hard setting boundaries; it’s hard doing the right thing; it’s hard honoring your values 24/7; it’s hard to work less; it’s hard to honor all the relationships that matter to you. The list goes on for all the choices one must make in order to live his or her best (epic) life.
The fact is, living a meaningful life is hard. This is not bad news.
Most of us don’t want to do difficult things. I understand this. I often don’t want to, either, despite my understanding for the point in doing them. But I would argue that it is not despite hardship that we grow. It is often because of it.
In life, there are mountains to climb, some of them seemingly insurmountable.
As a life coach, my mission is to inspire and encourage others to choose to climb these mountains and to support them in the process. I believe that, in most cases, what is on the other side is worth it. I believe this with all of my might. (But, at the very least, the views are better from up high, and you become more skillful and experienced at climbing mountains and enduring struggle. You become more as a result of your climbs.)
So, that’s the best way I can describe what I do. And, it is an honor for me to do this work. Thank you for your support. I am grateful.
(Next up: Tools for discovering your life’s purpose. It is fun and important work to do.)
April 30th, 2012
I have been going on epic wilderness adventures for more than 25 years. If there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s this: There is no better (not to mention more inspiring) platform from which to practice doing the work that living on purpose — and living your most epic life — requires, than the wilderness.
Like on an epic adventure where a storm comes in, conditions in our lives are not always ideal. Still, we press on.
In the wilderness, you may come to a river. You must cross it to carry out your mission. You may come to a tall mountain, and you will have to climb it to move the expedition forward. It may snow and blow and rain. You have to deal.
Tori Murden McClure, the first woman to row across the Atlantic, and author of A Pearl in the Storm, said it best at a presentation I heard her give last October: “There is no such thing as good weather or bad weather, only inconvenient weather.
The emotions, struggles and behaviors that occur on an epic wilderness expedition are the same systems that occur in our everyday lives, in work, at home, etc. Embarking on an epic wilderness expedition provides relevant, accelerated and inspiring practice.
I’m currently looking for 9 AMAZING WOMEN to fill the roster for Epic Life’s premier EPIC WOMEN program. The dates of the adventure, which I’m partnering with NOLS to provide, are Sept. 10-15. The program comes bundled with an epic adventure, coaching and continued support post-adventure.
Only 9 spots. Contact me if interested. (Only amazing women need apply)
- Categories: Adventure, Fitness, Life and Leadership, Travel
- Tags: epic adventure, epic life, epic women, expedition, Leadership, Life coaching, nols, wilderness, women
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March 5th, 2012
Most of us have an idea about what we want our life and future to be. Call it our destination. It’s where we’re headed. It’s the life that we’re trying to create. It’s what every day we’re working toward.There are many ways we can get there. And I suspect most of us would agree that there is value in the journey.
So we “route find” our way through our lives. At times we follow paved roads, complete with signs and navigation. Other times we follow trails. And still other times we bushwhack, creating our own path. Life is a series of macro and micro route finding decisions. For example, a macro decision for me is deciding that I want to be a life and leadership coach. A micro decision might be determining what coaching program to enroll in.
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