When I retired in June of 2020 in the midst of the pandemic, my second life as I had planned it was unavailable. I was unable to travel, go to schools to support principals, enjoy lunch out with maybe a glass of wine with my husband...I was stuck at home waiting for life to begin again. I hit rock bottom in November, had a bout of vertigo and needed to pull myself out of the funk I was in. So with some reflection, I found my way back and enrolled in a 6 month course and began my new journey in March.
But still I was feeling unsure...worried about failure, worried about not making it in this new life I was trying to create. I was closed off, not wanting to connect with people who were not part of my past. But unexpectedly, someone from class reached out and connected. I was hesitant letting someone new in to see me fail. If no one knew what I was doing, failure would be easy to hide.
We began with a practice coaching session and by the end of the call I had let myself be vulnerable and let someone else in. It was the first moment that I felt I had something to offer the world that wasn’t found in a school. I returned to reading for inspiration and was on a path to the future. I watched Brené Brown’s “The Call to Courage” on Netflix.
But again, I was in a Zoom room for my class and I was feeling myself push back from connecting. Doubts returned and the desire to hide in the basement returned. I wasn’t able to create new connections. This new path was a dead end.
Enter the 3-way call. I was asked by a classmate to add a 3rd person to our calls. I agreed, but deep down I was hesitant. Another person to see me fail.
I could not have been more wrong! I coached a classmate that was in the same spot I was two years ago. Looking forward to transition from 1st life to 2nd life. Passionate, excited and grounded in the possibility of fulfillment. Her passion helped me to understand that I can coach, I can be successful, but I need to be vulnerable again and again.
Thanks to Brené Brown I am back on track. She says "We can measure how brave you are by how vulnerable you're willing to be."
I am ready to be brave. Are you?
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