Why I Was A Secret Coach

It’s been 5 years since my last post and I am inspired, motivated, excited and just a tad bit nervous to return to writing and sharing. I’ve been thinking about what to share with you about my absence from the public scene, and after some thought, I figure total honesty was the right way to go.   So, here it goes….

• I started my blog 5 years ago because people told me I needed it.
• I created a business Facebook page because people told me I needed it.
• I created coaching packages because people told me I needed them.

I did these things and much more because it’s what people told me I had to do to gain visibility as a small business owner. I was looking for guidance and opinions, and I got them, lots of them. Of course many had to do with social media and I am technologically challenged.  I didn’t get the whole social media craze, but I did trust what people were saying so I did it.

Once I started the blog, created the Facebook page and put together basic packages.  I did what I was told to do and the results were less than impressive. I actually felt more stressed and frustrated!  I would put off writing and sharing because I was worried about what others would think. The anxiety and pressure (from myself) hit me like a brick and I was paralyzed. This was a crappy place to be. Here I was, running a successful coaching business, with successful and happy clients, yet struggling with putting myself out there, becoming more visible. I hired coaches and went to seminars to teach me how to do these tactical things so they would be done correctly. After all, if they weren’t done perfectly, people might reject me, judge me and that would totally ruin my business. (Just a few issues in my thinking here.) I was tired of doing what caused stress and other yucky feelings so I disappeared and went back to being a secret coach.

My focus switched from an external journey to an internal one. As I became more aware of my thoughts and feelings, both the good and the “needs improvement”, it became obvious why the first blog was so short lived, why the business page sat inactive and why coaching packages never felt right:

1. I hadn’t allowed me to be me.
2. I didn’t trust in my own value.

While I still ask for opinions from time to time, I know not all will be right for me. I also know that what I think of myself is so much more important than what other people think of me.  I love this internal journey and getting to know this smart, creative, challenging and somewhat sarcastic chic that is me. The tactical things will follow as I figure out what feels right. Right now, what feels right is putting myself out there and sharing my knowledge, experience and stories to help you be successful in any endeavor you choose.

Welcome to the 2.0 version of my Focus Now blog. I look forward to growing with you!