Slipper Moments

A good friend of mine jokes with me about my ‘slipper moments’ in life. You know the kind of situation; you’d rather be sitting somewhere cosy in your slippers preferably drinking a nice cup of something instead of putting on your work clothes or work face and getting out there. For me ‘getting out there’ could range from buying milk to phoning prospective clients to attending a networking event.

Recently I’ve pondered on what these slipper moments have stopped me from doing and was shocked to realise how far reaching the symptom has shown up in my life. Not only had I avoided leaving the office but I had stopped making social arrangements with friends, going out dancing after 8pm, turning the TV off after a good programme or finding something else to do instead of watching TV, cooking tasty meals from scratch and in general just being spontaneous and daring. The list of excitement, experience, opportunities, fun, learning, enjoyment that I was missing just seemed to go on and on.

If you’re familiar with the Wheel of Life you can assess the impact of your slipper moments by doing this simple exercise. First draw a circle and divide it into 8 equal parts with the following headings Career, Money, Health, Friends & Family, Significant Other, Personal Growth, Fun & Recreation, Physical Environment. Now note under the different Wheel’s headings how your slipper moments are holding you back, slowing you down or causing you to sit out on excitement / experience / fun / challenges.

Now before the gloom sets in as with most coach-able experiences there is an antidote, and in this instance it’s the ‘stiletto moment’. We’ve all had these moments when we’ve said yes before our head has had a chance to say no or when we try something new for the first time solely with the intention of just ‘giving it a go’. I had a shared stiletto moment this week when in our house we decided to get up at 6.30am during the week. This leap in the dark left us dazed and unsure about what to do with this quality time, but we’re slowly discovering the sense of slowing of time, calmness and creating ‘me’ time which had previously eluded us.

Now go back to your Wheel of Life and consider where you could add maybe two or three stiletto moments into your life. I want you to throw back the covers and see what needs to be changed, consider removing the warmth and protection of a habit or belief and reveal the naked truth. To really commit to making changes in your life include a start date and tell at least one other person what your intention is, and you can include me.

To help you with your Wheel of Life assessment you can consider these coaching dictionary definitions:

slipper / slip purrrrr / adj state of comfort or inertia with a tendency to take the easy option

slipper moment / slip purrrr moan ment / adj an instance where you’d rather be doing something else and preferably nothing. A tendency to find fault or moan about the alternative option, resulting in in-action

stiletto / soletgo / adj 1a teetering on the edge of something new b scaling new heights or ability to see from a higher level

stiletto moment / soletgo momentus / adj an instance where you step forward and take action even in light of being on unsteady ground and the prospect of falling over

Don’t wait for New Year to make changes in your life make any day the first step, and let’s make that step in your stilettos.

Happy teetering!

About the author:

Article written by Kate French CPCC
0131 467 0642

Certified Professional Co-Active Coach
Member of the International Coaching Federation
Creative coaching partnerships - opening doors to possibilities everywhere.

Website: http://www.katefrench.com

Author: Kate French
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