“The Heartbeat: Are you moving toward what you want or away from what you don’t?”
This may not make a lot of sense, but I think I’m more proud of the three certificates shown above than I am of the two bachelor’s degrees I got from UC Berkeley.
Berkeley was a safe haven for me.
It was my first run at real independence after being given all the adult responsibilities too early in my life.
I paid my own way through everything. And I was scrambling with two to three part-time jobs at a time, a full course load, leading a case competition team. I was trying to figure out what to major in… trying to figure out myself… trying to figure out how to matter.
Now I’m 45.
And I have three certificates from the Association for Integrative Psychology that say I’m a:
Master Practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming (most people don’t know what this is),
Master Practitioner of Mental and Emotional Release (game-changer for the work I’m doing coaching women of color + daughters of immigrants to thrive),
Master Practitioner of Hypnotherapy.
These are choices I made consciously. I paid my own way through them, too. What’s different is that they’re big and bold endeavors TOWARD what I’ve been too scared to admit I truly want for this next chapter of my life…
Berkeley was a way to run AWAY from the life that came before it. It was a tried and true, widely accepted stepping stone to success. And, it made my parents proud to say they had a daughter at Cal.
In Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) and behavioral psychology, there are two key motivators: toward or away.
You’re either moving toward what you want or away from what you don’t.
Take a moment to think about a goal in your life. Ask yourself if you have toward or away energy about it.
Here’s the trick: you will ALWAYS have more success with a toward motivation.
Why?
Because when you’re moving away from what you don’t want, the closer you get to your “goal,” the further away you get from the thing that was motivating you in the first place — when you get far enough, you start to forget what was propelling you and begin to slip backwards. This is where yo-yo habits begin.
When you’re moving toward your goal, the closer you get, the more excited you’ll be!
The key to success: celebrate at 90%.
Then, use the remaining 10% as the start to the next level up of your goal. This will always keep you growing and going. Plus, celebrating the 90% becomes a motivator when times get tough. (I filmed a TikTok about why it’s important to celebrate these moments.)
I’m breaking free from whatever “safety cocoon” I concocted to stay small.
I’m writing the story of my life in all the ways I’ve dreamed of… these certificates are a declaration of that.
Of me being me.
Of me being of service.
Of me claiming my portion of happiness, abundance, and joy.
And guiding others along their journey as a coach.
Me. A coach.
Would ya look at that?
What I’m doing now is about doing purposeful work that hopefully heals hearts + mends relationships + inspires more freedom + allows for each soul to truly shine.
If you’d like to see if coaching together is a good fit, schedule a complimentary call here.
P.S. If you know another womxn who’d like these insights too, feel free to forward this to them. I believe all of us will change the world.
