Putting on masks, taking off masks, deciding who you want to be and how you want to be is part of discovering your identity. As life changes, staying true to yourself during professional and personal transitions can be challenging. The changes from work to retirement, from one job to another, from country to country, or returning to college as a mature student are transitions that can stop people in their tracks. The feeling of helplessness and loss of control is familiar to anyone who is in the process of change. How do you want to be in a new job? As a retired person? Or back in school? Working with a life coach can help you hone in on your new identity and face the changes you are making with strength and purpose.
Life Coaching Case Study: Mom Goes Back to School
A client has decided to return to college. She dropped out early to marry. With a husband, children, and bills to pay she has had little time for reflection. “Allison” came to me for life coaching to explore how she wants to “be” as she works through this transition and assumes a new identity as a student.
How much will she have to change? Allison is worried that she will be out of step with other students and her sense of vulnerability will contribute to her already low self-esteem. She is facing down the inner voice of her saboteur.
Through life coaching, Allison is integrating her two worlds, the student and wife/mother. She has developed a daily to-do list of small tasks that give her a sense of control and accomplishment. She has drawn up a short-term list of specific goals and a long-term plan of steps to graduation. Together we have sketched out her vision of her future self and can “see” her crossing the stage to receive her diploma with her family in the audience!
Being committed to this choice, even with misgiving and fears, gives Allison a sense of strength and recognition of who she is. By drawing on past successes and accepting that obstacles can be overcome with examination, work and new perceptions, Allison is staying true to herself while following the dream that resonates with her values.
True life is lived when tiny changes occur. -Leo Tolstoy
Are you facing a big change or new identity? With the right tools, navigated conversations and the intention to create something great, you too can discover ways to live your best life. Let’s get started now on identifying what you want and find a way to get you there.
Contact me for a complimentary, no-obligations life coaching consultation to discuss the possibilities. Or use the Appointment Scheduler and pick a time that works for you. I coach 90% of my clients over the phone, and my DC-based Life Coaching clients have the option of meeting with me in person.