Sometimes you feel like you are out of gas.

Married, with three school age children, I was working full time in a busy and demanding role, living a full and “busy” life, and always striving to keep up.

I had my foot on the pedal too hard, and when you are living life that way it can be difficult to negotiate the big bumps in the road when they occur.

I had many things to juggle, and I often felt a bit like a rat on treadmill. When mum was diagnosed with a debilitating illness. – early onset dementia I found it difficult to maintain this speed of life. I went through many stages of loss, including sorrow, anger, and fear. I wanted to be able to help and support mum and I had a realization that I need to make the most of this one and precious life.

This big bump in the road made me take notice, I realized I wanted to change my lifestyle – what I was doing, my work and how I was living. It was time to set off in anew direction.

Maybe you need a top up, a tow, or a push start.

Deciding to work with a coach was a key turning point for me at that time. I changed the way I was thinking, I was able to to see a picture of the kind of life I desired, and then to take the action I needed to bring it into my reality. I hit the open road. I was able to realign my lifestyle and career and I went on to spend ten fabulous years doing work I loved, promoting resilience in school communities.

Sometimes you have the handbrake on and you don’t even realize it.

Further down the road and in another place, I lost my way. I wasn’t enjoying what I was doing, it didn’t feel right, there was resistance and difficulty, and I recognised the familiar feeling of needing a change again, I felt in the wrong place, uncertain of why or what it was I should do.

“Well, we’re not in the middle of nowhere, but we can see it from here.”                                                                            – From the movie – Thelma and Louise

This time I had the tools to help myself through the transition.

I revisited my vision for what I wanted my life to look like, I realigned with my values and I created a MAP to help get me started, I used what I had learned, about resilience, and I got brave.  I was able to take the steering wheel, and to embrace my next chapter with confidence and anticipation.

With these experiences, I have learned some seriously helpful and valuable tools and strategies that I want to share with other women who may also have run out of gas, or found themselves lost, stalled at the lights, or spinning their wheels with their handbrake on.

I’ve learned along the way, that you have to make your own MAP. Don’t let others do it for you. Like an explorer you can find your way, you may not be able to see a clear path ahead but start walking in the direction that calls you. You have your own internal GPS that can show you the way, and you just have to learn how to listen to it and trust it will get you there. Put yourself in the driver’s seat, and follow your heart.

We only get one life, lets make it the ride of a lifetime.