Mind the gap

As a midlife coach, I focus on fresh starts.  Last week I addressed the feelings of restlessness, helping you to understand your thoughts cause your feelings.  This week I’d like to chat about the distance between what you think you should do and what you are actually doing. Your fresh start hinges upon you minding the gap.

The gap is a feeling.  

The greatest gap in the world is the gap between knowing and doing.  ~John Maxwell

The results we hope for in our lives are always created by the thoughts we entertain.  The gap between knowing and doing is our feelings.  

Again, notice what the gap is not…. obstacles, or any negative circumstance.  

Awareness

According to a Harvard Business Review article, the number one reason people don’t realize their potential is that they don’t know themselves.  

The best way to get to know yourself is develop a healthy measure of curiosity, observing your thoughts and feelings.  

Begin to observe what makes you tense or relaxed.  (Hint: it is a thought you are having). 

“To be true to myself, I must know myself: what I enjoy, what I resist, what moves me.  Pleasure asks that we reacquaint ourselves with who we are.”  ~Victoria Castle. 

Map your gap

I teach my clients a weekly scheduling practice called Monday Hour One.  In the process of scheduling everything out, my clients are taught to map out fun first.  

When I first started practicing Monday Hour One, I didn’t know what I liked to do for fun.  I had to think about what brought me pleasure throughout the week.  From this awareness, I now schedule yoga, gardening and roller skating first into my week.   

Added bonus:  Over time, I realized that the more I enjoyed life, the more creativity energy flowed through me.  Feeling tense or experiencing a sense of dread is an indication that I lack necessary fun in my life.  That’s an easy fix!  I now have a list of things that will add spice to my weekly schedule.

Journal your gap

I intuitively knew from an early age that expressing my thoughts in a journal is the key to minding the gap (my feelings).  

Witnessing your thoughts on paper allows you the opportunity to make changes, respect how you feel, and stop ignoring them.  

Here are a few journal prompts that will help you start minding your gap…

What do you feel?

How do you feel right now, tense or relaxed?

Is there something that inspires you? 

Are you loyal to something?

What do you avoid?

When do you feel most alive?

I can help

I enjoy sharing what I’ve learned from my personal growth journey.  One of my freebies is Rise Above Your Own Midlife BS, a free downloadable workbook.  In this you will get to know yourself better and mind your gap (feelings).  

It’s been my experience that hiring an objective listener helped identify where I was stuck. 

As your life coach, I will help you leap over the divide from what you think you should be doing to what you want to be doing.  I lead you through the four stages of change to fully get to know yourself.  

Your best years begin with a healthy dose of curiosity. 

Curious about hiring a life coach?   I invite you to schedule a consultation by clicking Ask A Coach below

Here’s to not only minding the gap, but embracing a fresh start like the badass you are!

~Tiffany

And the birds fluttered around her writing “YES” in the sky.