He was feeling stuck.

Truly stuck.

And so was I.

None of my questions seemed to help, he kept going round in circles, not able to see any other possibilities.

I looked around the meadow I was sitting in, waiting for inspiration to hit, when my eye fell on my backpack. I had taken up learning the tarot shortly before and had started bringing one of my decks with me to flip through if I had some spare time.

She was telling me what was on her heart and mind that day, and what she was struggling with. I listened. She sounded tired.

When she finished talking, apart from a ‘hm’ of acknowledgment, I stayed silent. I didn’t know what to say or ask, so I said nothing.

After a brief pause, she started talking again. I listened as she tried to give herself a pep talk. She wasn’t buying it though. She knew it and I knew it, and she didn’t need me to say it. She went silent. I didn’t know what to say or ask, so I said nothing.

“The truth is, I’m just not sure if I even want to be a designer anymore,” my client sighed, his body sagging. I could see he really believed it, too.

“Can I be blunt with you?” I asked.

“Yes, please. Always!”

“You are a designer, it’s who you are, but you’re currently using your creativity for being a struggling designer instead of a thriving, successful one. Your creativity is your biggest strength, but the way you’re using it to create your own obstacles and roadblocks, it’s become your biggest weakness.”

People sometimes ask me why I’m a champion for outdoor coaching sessions whenever the weather allows. They wonder if being surrounded by nature might be distracting or worry that it might feel too relaxed, not like a ‘serious’ conversation about life or business.

My experience is that people think better outside. I observe more creativity, a stronger willingness to challenge their beliefs and their way of seeing the world, and a deeper connectedness to what truly matters to them.

If you’re like me, committed to playing big in your life, you know that some days are not as easy as others. For those days, I’ve written a set of commandments to give me something to hold on to when I’m tired and weary. They remind me to be bold and courageous and that even if it doesn’t seem like it right now, it’s so worth it to Play Big.

There are days when I feel great! Great about the world and the people around me, about myself and what I do, . Days when I’m high on love and gratitude and green juice. When I believe in myself and what I offer. When I feel like I have everything I have ever dreamed of and so much more and the future holds even more magic. When I have oomph in my step and a twinkle in my eye and my heart feels wide open. Anything and everything is possible and being alive is just the best thing ever!

A while ago, my boyfriend started asking me a question in the morning, while he was getting ready to go to his job and I was getting ready to work at home in my coaching practice. The question he started asking me was “Are you going to rock the world today?”

Depending on how I was feeling that day, I’d respond with an enthusiastic “Yes!”, or a less enthusiastic “Mmm…”. When I’d had a good night sleep and was feeling upbeat, I really felt I rocked the world, and I loved it! On other days, rocking the world seemed light-years away.