This is Zuzana Mukumayi and you are listening to the Screw Being Unhappy Podcast. In this segment, Coaching Insights, I share the coaching goodness from real coaching conversations, so that you too can get INSPIRED AND TAKE ACTION TO MAKE YOUR DREAMS HAPPEN.
Today, I want to talk to you about living up to our values making sure that we have space for what is important to us in our lives. It is so easy to lose track of what really matters to us, because life happens. Children, jobs, building businesses or heartbreaks.
The environment has always been important to me. I wanted to study botanics but ended up studying environmental studies. Some time back, as I was reading a chapter on courage in an excellent book by Brendon Burchard, it dawned on me: It has been way too long since I was a part of something meaningful when it comes to protecting our environment. It didn’t feel right.
As things always come in synchronicity, as I was pondering about my own contribution to the cause I care about, I was coaching a client who has gone through a heartbreak. In our conversations, we often circled around trying new things out. During one of the sessions, she realized she wanted to volunteer, for the cause she cared about.
What do these two examples have in common? Doing things that are meaningful to you gives you more clarity and brings more joy – it just makes you happier.
Let me coach you a little. Take out your journal and pause this audio.
What do you care about?
Jot down the things that are important to you: it can be a cause to make the world a better place, or it can be about you, your family or the way you live. It doesn’t matter if you want to help abandoned dogs, clean oceans or make sure that you spend quality time with your child every day. Maybe you care about your body being strong or healthy, or you want to create a neighbourhood community that is vibrant and reliable.
If you wrote more things, pick one that feels most important and appealing to you right now.
On the scale 1-10 (10 being the 100% satisfied with what you are doing right now, 1% being not satisfied at all), where would you find yourself right now?
I would rate myself 2 or 3 when it comes to doing something meaningful for the environment.
What are you already doing to this cause?
In my case, I gave myself a rating 2/3 because I try to make compost for our garden, don’t use plastic bags for shopping and try to reuse what I can. Sometimes I make a small financial contribution to environmental projects.
Now, what can you do to move yourself on the scale just one rating up? The point is not to go from one to ten, from not using plastic bags to the zero-waste activist. The point is to move, in my case to 3 or 4 on the scale.
Write a list of things you are committing to do. My action points were to start multiplying my flowers, planting them into reusable containers from yoghurt or peanut butter, and creating small signs for them with the flower name and a quote around nature (connecting my need to do something meaningful with my love for flowers and fun activity I can do together with my son). The idea is to leave them on random places for people to take them home, in a way creating seeds for loving nature.
Remember, this is about simple steps. I guarantee you, in every single thing you decided focus on, there is something you ALONE can do TODAY. I can plant a baby flower. I can pick rubbish on our access road. I can do 5min exercise watching YT video. I can google charities supporting my cause. I can send 20 USD to the organization cleaning oceans. I can go to a neighbour and invite her over for coffee.
Whatever you come up with, include it in your weekly or monthly planning. Book the place in your calendar. Make it happen.
Right now, about 12 seedlings are growing on our veranda, with the first two ready to find their new owners. My client researched charities in her area and started applying for volunteering opportunities.
Let me leave you with this: taking steps, however small, that are aligned with your values and what is important to you in life, will significantly improve your happiness.
What is it that you have been missing in your life that you really care about? Start now. Start with the coaching questions I shared today and from there keep moving.
This is all for today, to our values! I’d love to hear from you if you take concrete steps after listening to this, and I will be honoured to chat with you if you want to work with a coach, making sure that your life includes everything that is important to you so you can live even happier life.
