One thing I’ve noticed after coaching for years is that the way you do one thing in your life is usually a sign of how you do everything.

 

Let me explain: if you put perfectionistic pressure on yourself to pick out your one right career path, you might also put that pressure on yourself to find your perfect, flawless (unicorn) romantic partner, to be the perfect friend, or improve your fitness by being perfect when you work out. (Maybe something super technical and detail-oriented like ballet or Olympic weightlifting...if you can get over your fears of not being perfect so that you can even start!)

 

Or if you’re afraid of losing out on options in your life, you might be too scared to commit to one career path or job, so you stay stuck in one you don’t like, because unhappiness feels safer than uncertainty of taking away future possibilities. You might be the one who goes out on dates with a ton of people but never wants to initiate the DTR (define-the-relationship) conversation and end up tied down. Or you might be the person who wants to eat at every new restaurant as soon as it opens, so you’ll know all the different culinary options that your city provides.  

 

The way you do things isn’t necessarily a bad thing -- in fact, it can be a secret hint about your strengths hiding in your personality and habits.   

 

You can see this secret strength concept beautifully illustrated in today’s podcast with Angela Wagner. The way Angela does work the the way Angela does life is an example of who she is. She started out her career in the high-powered advertising world, but was seeking to feel grounded outside of work, so she started working at a gym on the side.

 

Her decision to lean into opportunities that helped her stay active while relieving stress led her to creating community through becoming a yoga teacher...which led her to creating her own yoga studio...which led her to her getting training in yoga life coaching

 

Creating community for individuals ready to put down their baggage and seek soulful stress relief is Angela’s through-line. It’s how (and WHY) she does everything.