|
Michelle Goble is a
holistic life coach who has been personally trained by Dr. Martha
Beck, bestselling author of “Steering by Starlight” & “The Joy Diet”
and columnist for Oprah’s “O” Magazine. Michelle is also working
toward certification with the International Coach Federation, as
well as the stellar MentorCoachTM
program, which was the first coaching school to base their training
on the principles of Positive Psychology.
My
Journey
Prior to becoming a Life Coach, I
spent 19 years in corporate and non-profit work. Spiritual and
holistic life healing captivated me while I was experiencing a
metamorphosis of my own. If you’d like to hear my personal story,
read on…
We join the hero of our story - me, at age 37. I work for a large
software corporation, where I have been for close to 14 years. In
the past 3 years, I’ve gotten re-married and had 2 children and 2
“WHAT!? You’re pregnant?!” exasperations from my ever-(not!) so-understanding
boss. All while working full-time, which in my world means well over
40 hours per week, nights, weekends and holidays.
Each day as I drop my small children off at daycare, I fight back
tears and the urge to escape with them to a far-off land of
fairytales and—mostly—no 10pm or 6am meetings to bookend the
all-night-ear-infection-screaming-fever-poopy parties that my son
likes to host.
“You call that heroic? Why, I know at least 10 people who do this
every day!”, you say. “And they’re doing just fine.” And I am doing
just fine, too. With one minor exception. I am beginning to have
some pain in my forearms & wrists. Oh, yes, and I am feeling a bit
tired. But it is nothing.
One year later, my arms hurt so intensely I can barely type.
Climbing the stairs to the 2nd floor of my building leaves me
feeling like I'm grasping for the pinnacle of Mt Everest. Every 3 steps or so, I need to stop to rest. I dread the
thought of someone walking in behind me; embarrassed they might see
that I am weak and worn down.
Age 38, I cannot type at all and it is getting dangerous for me to
drive because of the pain. I am spending more time with doctors than
in my office, and the work is pilling up. I am at work only 30 hours
per week, but am expected to maintain my former output. Without
using my hands. Ever.
To my glee, my voice-activated software occasionally types in a
curse word that I did not actually say. I fantasize about expanding
on these messages, sending them to my boss, and later explaining
that my computer made the mistake. “Sorry,” I would say, shrugging
my shoulders.
The specialists who are trying to rehabilitate my arms are
having no luck. The rest of my body is also writhing with pain and I
can barely get out of bed in the morning, but I continue to tell
myself its no big deal. Until…I somehow stumble upon a Naturopath
(aka Goddess of Light), who takes one look at me and says, “There is
no way you are going back to work today.” What I didn’t know at the
time was that I had worked my last day in Dilbert-ville.
Age 39, I lay motionless on my sofa. I can’t go to work, make
breakfast, or pick up my kids from daycare. I am utterly, absolutely
flattened. My husband, who is my Hero, does literally everything to
take care of our family for months on end while I begin to heal.
The diagnosis is Addison’s disease - chronic adrenal exhaustion. I
had literally been running on stress hormones for so long that I did
what doctors tell me is irreversible damage to my body.
So, today I face a lifetime of daily medications to support my burnt
out adrenals. I had also developed fibromyalgia, a chronic pain
condition that can be debilitating. What my mind would not
acknowledge, my body screamed out: “Stop! Listen! And re-evaluate everything!”. So began
my journey into healing not only my body, but my mind, heart &
spirit as well.
Today I am sincerely thankful for my pain—it has been a great gift. I’ve
learned that the physical reaction to stress that I have is called somatizing; my body responds swiftly and intensely to any situation
that is crushing my soul, or even leading in that direction. Who
wouldn’t love to have such a finely-tuned compass?!
“Sure, I can go back and sit in a cubicle for 10 hours a day…” [EXCRUCIATING
PAIN!!!]
“Oh yes, I’d love to chat with you for hours about how
awful your mother-in-law is.” [I CAN’T MOVE MY NECK!!]
“Certainly, I
would be happy to be the president of the PTA.” [TOTAL PARALYSIS!!]
All I need to do now is remember to listen to my body when it has a
message for me. So I pray each day that the source of my spirit
helps me to be the best listener that I can be, for myself, for my
family, and for those I coach.
Today both my body and my spirit tell me when I am getting off
track. By paying attention to what my essential self is saying, I
have reduced my physical pain to almost nothing and I’ve seen a
great decrease in the emotional suffering that once haunted me as
well.
There have been some tough choices along the way. Giving up
attachments that the ego holds can seem as daunting as ripping your
wet tongue from a frozen lamp post. But each success and each new
learning brings confidence, freedom, and greater peace.
Three years ago if you had told me I would come out of this
flourishing, *I would not have believed you*. My greatest desire now
is to live as an example and, as Dr. Michael Beckwith
puts it, to “serve an emerging paradigm of kindness, compassion, and
love.” Some days it’s easier than others.
More about this emerging paradigm in my blog…see you there!
Contact Michelle
|
