🌍 3 lessons for your career goals I learned in handstand practice.

The mats were laid out on the floor. The teacher smiled at us, and 10 nervous students looked back at him. I was excited to learn how to do a (wall-free) handstand.

For the first hour, he taught the basics of how to approach learning a (wall-free) handstand, from warming up your wrists to positioning your hands and the step-by-step process of building up to a handstand.

The second hour was practice. It was my turn. The teacher was positioned to the left of me. He had his hand stretched out so I won't fall over. The instructions were simple: Get your legs above your head.

I went into position. Hands down, head down…. I started swinging my legs. Slowly, I could feel the panic rising. My whole body and brain said: No, no, no, don't go any further! I'm pretty sure I screamed. The feeling was visceral. My body was in full-fledged panic mode.

I couldn't do it. No matter the coaxing and support, I was too afraid.

It was clear to me that this would be a process—not only of the mechanics of learning to do a handstand but also one of inner practice.

What are the lessons for your career goals?

Lesson 1 – it's not just the mechanics.

My clients are intelligent, capable and ambitious. But here's the thing: The problems I help clients solve usually have a different root cause than they initially thought. It's a weed that grows in a place where it shouldn't be. I help them remove that weed.

When I did the handstand workshop, I thought I just had to learn the mechanics until I realised that I had to retrain my brain to understand that I was going to be safe.

Clients come to me with ambitious career transition goals. Often, they've hit a point of low confidence, hit a wall, don't know where to turn next or need accountability to get out of their head and make it happen. I work with clients on building their capacity and skills to bring about a change they've often thought very long and hard about.

Lesson 2 – it takes some time.

Learning to do a handstand, like any other skill, is not a one-session process. As I've learned, I won't know how to do that handstand in one two-hour workshop. Getting to a wall-free handstand involves stretching, the proper sequence, strength in the right muscles, feedback on how it's going, continuous small practice, and the right mindset.

Similar to achieving your career goals. You need:

Tools: Sometimes, these are practical tools to help you progress towards your goals. Sometimes, these are inner practices.
Feedback: You might want (or need) honest and helpful feedback and reflections on where you are and how you're doing in implementing these new approaches so you don't go too far off track in your efforts.
Cheerleading: Sometimes, we need someone who can say, "You're doing great! Keep going!" when we feel like giving up.
Permission: You need someone to tell you: Yes, you can do this. And you deserve this. You need permission to dream big, think it is possible and believe it can happen.
Time: We want space in our schedule, yes. But we also wish to see results, and that takes some time.

And that's rarely a one-session process. Hence, I work with my clients over a minimum of 3 months.

By committing to at least three months, you're committing to wanting a change. You're committing that this is a priority now, which must change.

Lesson 3 – progress is a matter of priority and focus.

Two years later, I still can't do a handstand.

Do I want to do a handstand? Yes! But I've not made any progress on it since. I might/will one day. But I know it's not a priority right now. I made a choice that it's not important right now. And that's ok. But if I decide to take up handstand practice again, I need a step-by-step process, a habit of training and human accountability to stick to it.

Most of my clients need help clarifying what they want. Often, their challenges aren't mechanical. They are struggling with even having a sense of what direction to move, what feels good to them, what's a 'yes' and what's a 'no'.

We all need a step-by-step process to avoid the overwhelm of implementing all these new ideas. Our lives are overwhelming these days. We have so much on. We need help focusing on what matters now and in 1, 3 or 5 years.

Do you want to make progress before the end of the year?

If no, that's ok.

But if you do, then I invite you to consider coaching. Coaching helps you design better habits, implement an accountability system, and stick with the journey of change.

Book yourself into a coaching discovery call at any time.

Happy November!
Simone

3 quick reads

What would be your 1% change?

Coaching should never feel like therapy.

An imminent sense of doom.

Events:

Thursday, 7 November: My next, free group coaching/Q&A is coming up. It’s a (free) space where I answer any questions about your career transitions in a confidential space. Click for details & RSVP.

Monday, 4 November: I am at the Impact Consulting Hub speaking about how to master the mindset shift and thrive as a freelance social impact professional. Click for info and registration.

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