‘Enjoy life. Stay healthy.’ I read the words on the little label of my chai tea bag. They describe pretty well what I have been up to: I turned my energy to my health. It was as if my body said: ‘Hey, we’re here! You have never paid much attention to us, but it IS our turn now. You have invested in your emotional well-being, in your mental hygiene and in your spiritual growth. We are here, too! Don’t let us down. We are ready.’

A few objections
I have trained myself to respond wholeheartedly, whenever I receive guidance like this. I have come to understand that there is no point in trying to ignore the signs or postponing. Of course, I felt resistance. I wasn’t expecting differently.

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What can you do when you feel tired? Replenish. Nourish yourself. And don’t forget to check whether you got enough sleep last night. Often sleep is the issue. Not getting the 7 or 8 hours of sleep per night will eventually wear you out. It makes you feel less courageous, less vibrant and less fun to be around.

A lack of sleep

Last night, I had a wonderful and long conversation with a friend of mine. I truly enjoyed our time together. I ended up going to bed way after midnight. This morning, I realized that this is not for me anymore. It takes its toll on my mood, on my vibrancy and on feeling ready for the day. Just like alcohol does. Not worth it.

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A little wind passes through the open window. I am wearing the flowery dress that I bought in Polen, during my first summer vacation with Jeroen. I just got off the phone with one of my clients; we had a nice conversation.

Unwinding
It feels very summery today. Summery in the way that it is time for me to unwind. For two weeks, I will only work for 50%. The other half of the week, I am spending with the kids. I’ll probably get us to some water today. Or we will be lying in the shade in a park on a little plaid, playing some games. All fine, all good. Unwinding, relaxing, enojoying, hanging out.

Yes, I will get my taxes in on time. Let’s not get too summery here. Doing a reality check once in a while can be useful.

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What is the most beautiful sentence I have ever written? No clue. What is the most beautiful book that I have ever read? No idea. Maybe Kafka on the shore by Haruki Murakami. What is the most beautiful man I have every kissed? You tell me. What is the most beautiful flower I have ever picked?

Uplifting
All this doesn’t matter at all. It is not important. What is important is that I am enjoying this gorgeous bunch of flowers on my dinner table. That I love to kiss my husband good morning.

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‘So this is what enough is.’ Those were the words that came up for me during the check-out in the latest Transition Central online meeting.

Check-in and check-out
At the beginning and at the end of our online video meetings, we do a check-in and a check-out: every participant gets one or two minutes to speak what she is experiencing in that moment. She knows that all group members will listen deeply, without responding. This makes it safe for her to share whatever she has on her mind. There won’t be any judging.

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Your level of self-belief plays a major role when taking action towards your goals. Are you aware of the ways in which you might let yourself be robbed from it? Today’s post is about self-belief killer #3: other people’s opinions.

A little story
It was about six years ago and I had just made the transition into transformational coaching. After I had informed my network about this new step, a former sponsor contacted me to go for a coffee. Here’s what he said: ‘Carolien, no organization will want what you are offering.

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Earlier this week, I wrote here about the major effect your level of self-belief has on your outcomes. As self-belief is such a game changer, I am diving into the tricky ways in which you might be undermining it. Today I get to speak about self-belief killer #2: an overall lack of trust.

Self-belief and trust aren’t the same
Firstly, let me point out the difference between self-belief and trust. Self-belief has to do with knowing that you can take on a certain task or try a new project and successfully complete it. Trust is a whole different ball game.

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Self-love and self-acceptance often get mixed up. They are however two different things. Self-love has everything to do with taking really good care of yourself. You take your time to sleep and to relax. You take the time to connect with people who lift you up. You take the time to be with your loved ones. You nourish you.

Non-judgemental love
Self-acceptance is about meeting yourself where you are right now. This is where you are. Yes, you do see your flaws and you also see your strengths.

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Knowing You Are Enough. It was a short sentence that came up this morning while I enjoyed a stroll in the neighbourhood park. It almost sounded like the title of a new program. I mean, who doesn’t need to know that she is enough?!? For sure, I do. I bet you do too.

Knowing you are enough, feeling it, sensing it and living it can be quite a challenge. Most of us are programmed differently. Growing up, you might have received messages like these: you have to work really hard. Then you are allowed to rest and feel good about yourself. Don’t rest for too long though. By the way, what is the next challenging task that you will sink your teeth into?

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Mental hygiene. Emotional balance. Spiritual connection. All these three areas have been at the focus of my attention over the last ten years. If you have been following this blog, you are well aware of this. Of course, I did pay attention to my physical well-being as well. I regularly exercised, spent time outside with the kids but it wasn’t on the top of my list. Recently, something has shifted though.

Focus on the body
It is now Sunday afternoon and I just enjoyed a fabulous lunch with a tuna steak avocado salad with some homemade mayonnaise.

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