May Madness and External Accountability
Forget March Madness, we’re onto May Madness.
It seems every parent I bump into or read their social media post has their heads, calendars, and lives full! In the classroom, spring has sprung, kids have grown, testing is likely underway, and there is so much to do both to wrap up this year and begin setting up a solid start to the new year. On top of all that, there are spring sports and dance recitals, end of the year showcases, concert, first communions, graduations.
In Annapolis, we see all sorts of new-ish young adults around town in civilian clothes. These are the soon-to-be USNA graduates and Navy Ensigns, who are evicted from the dorm and have a wee bit of time and freedom to act like regular old 22-year-olds until Commissioning Week begins on May 19th. The underclass men and women breath a little sigh of relief but soon move off to summer blocks at sea, in trainings, or possibly even getting to go home and be a civlian for a short period of time. Commissioning Week is the blessed and unoffial start of summer here. Our little town swells beyond capacity as joyful families and locals convene to watch the Blue Angels, formal dress parades on the Navy Yard and the actual Commissioning ceremony. It seems everyone is happy, but the truth is, it took a ton of work to get to this week, not only for the graduates bu tfor their families and everyone involved in the festivities. Making it through the month and the insanity of graduation week requires precision planning.
Most parents of any age child know that this sort of precision planning is required if there’s any hope of making it through the spring (or summer or fall or winter!). Most of us don’t quite have it all down and do a bit of winging it. Even those who look like they have all the plates in the air will confess to dropping some or even tossing a few out the window when the madness ramps up.
I consider myself a pretty well-organized person and the house, with just two of us and three four-legged freinds, life is far less frenetic that it used to be. The clutter and silent stories of life are minimal, especially since we went through the motions to stage and prepare our house for a sale, and then decided it wasn’t the right time. The upside was I got to Marie Kondo a lot of stuff. Things I boxed up 10 months ago remain there because, heck, I don’t really need all those trinkets and cleared off counters and white space on bookshelves suit us just fine.
Yet, I still had a few pockets around the house I could not get a handle on, and they haunted me. I happened to meet Susie from Systems by Susie and took the leap to have her come work her magic. In just two hours, a pair of strangers took charge of a couple of closets and forced me to organize or dispose of each item we retreived. I feared I needed to add shelves and storage to accommodate the bulging closets and was preparing to invest time and money. Gratefully, by the time they finished, we had plenty of empty space in those closets and several bags to donate. It just took some external accountability and, job well-done!
It’s the same with coaching. At the heart of my coaching, is my underlying belief that every one of us has what we need to be successful, no matter how we define “success.” We have the skills, vision, and determination to unearth what matters most and to map a path to get where we want to be, living the life that meets our needs, responsibilities, choices, and expectations. My job as a coach is to help you see that you have this all (oh, do I sound like a Fairy God Mother? Fine with me of you envision me all in white with a wand and tiara, but those got purged!)
One thing I often hear - in darn near every conversation with clients and prospective clients and new people I strike up a conversation with - is how busy life is making them. Most people are really, really hard on themselves, so their statements about being busy are usually followed up with all the “shoulda,” “coulda” “haftos” and how they can’t get a handle on things.
Sound familiar?
Sheesh.
Chill out.
You’re probably doing better than you think.
Sometimes it is small tweaks that bring structure and success, not radical life changes.
Sometimes it means letting go of stuff or expectations (that’s how I freed up space in my closet and then had this magical, energetic burst of spaciousness!).
Sometimes it means delegating or outsourcing things.
Sometimes, it means enlisting a judgement-free, impartial coach to listen to you and help you escavate strengths, employ strategies, shed light on big and small wins, and help you stick to a game plan.
If you’re a person who is feeling a bit overwhelmed with schedules and demands, why not let me help?
Wondering how?
I’m working on some goodies that help you better manage ALL THE THINGS - schedule, stuff, people, food, animals, work, friends, family…..so keep an eye out for my May newsletter (out the last Thursday of the month.)
I’ve got coaching spots that would let you have an Accountability Partners slot or work more in-depth each weekly to create a wellness vision or define goals to find greater purpose can joy.
I also have a Pay What You Can offer for new clients to work with me on two Wednesdays in May.
In the meantime, here’s to rocking the end of the week and enjoying some much deserved time off and celebrating the mom and mom-figures in our lives! Take a walk alone, have a second glass of wine, eat those messy and delish pancakes delivered to your bed, tell the people around you that love them dearly but appreciate a trip to the bathroom alone.
And if you want to connect for a little support and accountability, let’s chat soon!
PS This week I launced something I’ve been planning and plotting and collaborating on for weeks. Did you hear? It’s a retreat - a chance to connect, create and rejuvenate on the Emerald Isle in August 2020 (just before the Navy-Notre Dame football game in Dublin!). Check out Celtic Connection Creation Rejuvnation - spaces are limited and a few days on the grounds of a 12th century castle might be something worth your planning efforts!
