I was in Kenilworth this morning having breakfast and overheard someone say "I haven't achieved anything in my life".
I was intrigued so eavesdropped on the conversation.
The crux was that she had low self esteem, her husband was an architect and 'built' amazing structures. Her friends had businesses and had something to show
for their lives.
She had JUST been a Mum.
That's it, a Mum.
Her "friend" pointed out that she could DO something in a few years when her kids had gone to university.
One of her kids didn't feel like he wanted to go to university, he didn't see the value in it and wanted to focus on a career where he enjoyed what he did.
He wasn't interested in pursuing a degree,
he didn't want the debt and wasn't really motivated by money so didn't feel he needed a degree to be successful and happy.
The lady sounded sad at this, almost like she had failed as a mother because her son was showing independent thinking at 15. My breakfast arrived and they left before I could say anything, although I was also a little embarrassed by my eavesdropping; so I'm not sure I would have.
She couldn't see that she had done an
amazing job as a parent, she provided an environment where her children could speak to her openly about there futures.
Where they were already expressing an interest in being happy as a life choice.
She had built something great in my opinion, children who knew how to express their feelings and were driven by more than simply following their peers in to university etc.
I'm not defined by my role as a coach and
I hope when I become a parent I'm not defined as simply a Dad.
I am me, Darren Checkley.
I'm unique.
There is nobody else in the world that is the same as me.
In the same way that there is nobody in the world that is the same as you.
You are YOU and you are awesome.
You may be an astronaut or brain scientist but so are many others, the only
thing somebody else can't be is you.
If you're a stay at home Mum/Dad and your kids are happy and healthy be proud of that.
One of my first roles when working with 1-1 clients as a coach is to establish exactly who they are and what they want to be when they grow up.
Coaching is going to be a big part of the 8 week challenge via our private Facebook accountability group.
Darren ‘there can be only one' Checkley