All that you desire is NOT on the other side of your todo list

*If you are not into coaching culture and this doesn't seem to immediately apply, that's okay. Stick with the article anyway. It gets juicy & it most definitely applies.*

Perhaps the majority of business coaches aren’t selling business coaching. Perhaps, the majority of business coaches are selling lifestyles of freedom & ease (at least this is what social media marketing will tell you).

And perhaps many of us are seeking the tools to build lives filled with freedom & ease, and so we sign up for business coaching.

Because, building a business seems more sane than taking time off for the sake of taking time off.

Because, investing in a business seems more secure than investing in ourselves (even though business coaching is sold to us as a personal investment).

Because, growing a business seems more productive than writing the screenplay, or staring at the ocean, or taking the art class, or [insert seemingly nonsensical desire with no guarantee of ROI].

Because, transforming the world through a movement seems more honorable than taking a break.

Because, leaving a legacy is more appealing than the possibility of living an ordinary life, of leaving nothing behind.

Because, action seems to be more favorable than inaction.

Because, having a plan feels better than stepping blindly into uncertainty.

And because, we are all programmed to feel a little bit of guilt and a little bit of shame and a little bit selfish, or irresponsible for seeking that which we desire alone. It’s almost as if we feel that we need to earn it (feel familiar?).

So when we want peace and quiet (instead of giving ourselves peace and quiet), we get to work to earn it. We build a business so that *one day* we can take 6 months off and explore a foreign country and plug into a new community and maybe get to that book that we know we want to write.

And perhaps this is the path to all that we desire.

But, what if it’s not?

What if it’s the other way around?

What if the desire itself is the path to building a life and a legacy that will support and sustain us? (Spoiler alert: it is!)

What if we took the time today, right now, to tune into what it is that we want and then made one tiny step in that direction?

If freedom & ease are what you desire, how can you bring those into your life today? How can you incorporate them into your 9-5, into the errands you run, to people you spend time with, and the ways in which you enjoy your time off?

How can you weave freedom & ease so integrally into your life, that you almost take them for granted?

Because, all that you desire is not on the other side of your todo list. It’s not available to you only after you have gone out of your way to ‘earn’ it. It becomes available to you the moment you allow it. And you allow it, by integrating it into your life today.

And once one desire is integrated, a new desire will emerge. And then again, and again.

You see, your desires are the breadcrumbs that will inevitably lead to the life and the legacy of your dreams. They are not to be second-guessed, pushed to the side, plotted for, earned, or underestimated in value. They are your path.

Next time you find yourself in pursuit of an accomplishment (such as building a business, or running a marathon, or even getting promoted), ask yourself if that accomplishment itself is what you truly desire, or if you are pursuing accomplishment to get to whatever it is that you actually desire.

And there’s no shame in realizing that we have devoted heaps of time on the thing that we think will get us to the thing that we actually want. It’s never too late to reach directly for the thing that we actually want. The exact variation of the life that we dream of and of the work that we dream to do will exist when we create it and we create it by following the breadcrumbs.

If you’re not sure what you want or where you want to begin, I’ve got your back. I offer individual coaching sessions and long-term packages so that you might choose what is best for you.

&& if you’re a business, organization or team looking to streamline your priorities based on your actual goals, I’ve got your back too.

Article published on LinkedIn in October 2022