Coaching after Hosting.
First time blogger, was that a good title? Did it grab you? Did it need explaining? Actually now thinking about it, is the whole point of a book or blog just the writer taking 700 pages to explain a title?….Rabbit hole for another time. This title, in summary, is about me falling through the hospitality industry for 20 odd years, becoming a life coach and reflecting on that hospo life through the new found lens of a Coach. Stark and jarring are the first two words that come to mind and the questions that flow from the reflection are endless: How did I get through it? What was I thinking? Why did I doubt myself? How did I show so much confidence but be so insecure? All while being riddled with body dysmorphia, coming out, experiencing at least one family death a year for 17 years (big family), and my imposter syndrome being my best pal. Looking back 2 of those in particular really stand out as things that truly hindered aspects of my life. Though I have no regrets I am chuckling at how small and easily fixable they now seem. If only I had a life coach at the time….
As I sit here reflecting on the past, my present is suddenly brought into sharp focus. Right now, I’m in the best place of my life. All emotions, my relationship, friends, family, wolves, moods, finances, feelings, demons, diets, mindsets, goals, wins and failures, all in perfect equilibrium. Life is good, and on complete reflection, it always has been. I’ve discovered that good and bad are relative terms when it comes to looking at a life, not absolutes. I have experienced both and been both in someone’s story at some point, I have no doubt. I’m choosing to look back and consider that every moment that led me to today, no matter what you label it, has been good, or ultimately resulted in good and that’s pretty good place to be.
Anyway, back to the reflection after that positivity tangent.
The answers to all those questions about how I got through it and how I managed the demons is a mad mix of figuring things out, having the right, and some times wrong people around me, weirdly manoeuvring through life and taking what served me and leaving what didn’t. It’s only looking with hinde sight and with a coach shaped monocle that I’m even able to see how I did it or maybe more importantly, who gave me the tools to do it.
I’ve realised through writing this blog and all the scattered notes about future blogs, that I was 100% meant to become a coach. Not quite standard career path you would think after a life time of hosting restaurants, bars and events hey? When we get onto blogs about career journeys it’ll probably make sense.
Looking back on my life as if I’m my own client has been mind blowing. Seeing the patterns of behaviour, the people, the conflicts and the solutions, I am now aware of the hacks I used and the hacks I’ve learned. When you combine that knowledge with life coaching principles learned through the Jay Shetty School, I can now guide others to find what hacks work for them and hopefully guide them to find their greatness.
After that small, mind bending introduction to my upcoming blogs, it’s on to digging deeper into all those questions. Saying hi to the demons, gleaning insight from the experiences and meeting the people that shaped this coach.
Perspective shift:
One size doesn’t fit all, but maybe on reading these blogs you may find something relatable or take something from it. If you don’t, take the win that you focused on something long enough to realise you didn’t like it. Take a sec to understand why you feel how you do. Growth and learning takes place in everything you do. Don’t miss it when it happens.
Next up:
Imposter syndrome: The worst Party guest.
Stay awesome.
