A first for everything

Have you ever felt like you were stepping into the role you were made for?

This is something I am feeling for the first time in my life. It has come with years of self-doubt, overcoming challenges and transforming my past into richness for the present.

This might sound a bit like destiny-speak, as if there is only one thing meant for me, or perhaps fate made it happen. I don’t actually believe there is only one role for me in this lifetime, though I am currently experiencing a very strong alignment with my purpose.

Some of you have been reading me for a bit, and may know that I made the big decision earlier this year to follow my dream: using my lived-experience with recovery with Bipolar Disorder as a platform for my new business as a consultant. I never thought it would be possible, seeing as the first years following my diagnosis in 2011 were filled with chaos that felt never-ending. Fourteen years later, I find myself living well with Bipolar, to the point of thriving with its challenges and gifts.

Now that I have discarded the old belief of “I can’t do (....) because my Bipolar Disorder will always mess up my life”, I see my lived-experience through a new lens and honour it as an asset. Why would I ever want to get rid of the pearl it took so many years to create? Now that I have taken full responsibility for my life and mental health, I know it’s up to me to make something from what I’ve been given.

So back to that “first”: I had my first coaching session today with a new client, and it feels like I am made for this. It felt effortless, like I already know the path and have total trust in following it even though I don’t know what is around the corner.

The type of coaching I am offering with my new consulting business is somewhat different from what you see around. I do what is called Lived-Experience Coaching, coming from a lens of lived-experience expertise with mental health and substance use recovery. This also includes my Peer Support Worker background that acknowledges my client as the expert on themselves. From this place, we (the team of coach and client) can walk together toward their goals around mental health management and daily thriving.

A friend recently asked me how my new business is going, and I laughed out loud saying “Well I’m definitely not making any money yet!...” But who cares, I finally feel like I don’t have to fit into someone else's mold of a job, career, or employment…

I MADE my own job. It’s my Calling. I was made for this.

STRUGGLES-2-STRENGTHS BLOG aims to connect with those experiencing Bipolar Disorder (BD) like myself, as well as those who support them, by sharing reflections on personal experiences rather than clinical perspectives. Please share with others and don’t hesitate to comment

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