Coach Lori
I’ve come to understand that big problems in life that cause breakdowns mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, aren’t something that happens overnight. It’s an accumulation of life’s stressors. It’s like the story of the frog in kettle of boiling water…
The frog is in the kettle of water that is room temperature. The frog feels fine, thinking everything is safe and peachy. Yet as the heat gets turned up gradually, due to the slow process the frog never realizes it’s getting dangerously hot. Eventually it boils to death.
It is in the malformed messages in our mind that life becomes unbearable; who we think we should be, what we should do, and why we can’t. Struggles happen in life. Either we learn how to cope effectively or they will destroy us on many levels.
You see on the outside people thought my life was great. I’ve earned trophies, ribbons, awards, and I have numerous educational training certificates. I’ve been a beauty pageant winner. I’ve been board presidents, owned three businesses, one in direct sales where in nine months I promoted to a manager and in three years led a top performing team of over 200 consultants, and earned trips every year. And last but far from least, I’ve developed a Coaching program and audio series from scratch that are bettering thousands of people’s lives today.
I have achieved every big goal I’ve ever attempted.
However, for years I was a silent sufferer.
As a child I was full of anxiety and bit my nails so bad that they bled.
I graduated from high school without ever fully reading a book.
I struggled with a seven year battle with eating disorders; anorexia and bulimia, beginning at the age of 17.
I never graduated from college due to struggling with taking tests.
I worked hard for 14 years in corporate America, going to night school, moving up the ladder, planning on retiring at 50, and in one day the company closed its doors.
At the age of 41, I was diagnosed with ADHD, and put on medications that made my life a nightmare. I lost me. I was not enthusiastic, creative, and intuitive as I once was. My zeal for life became buried.
Sadness and isolation resulted.
Then at the age of 46, I became very sick. I was losing my vision, my equilibrium, my energy, motivation, and personality. Medical doctors could find no cause.
That year I ended an abusive marriage, became a divorced single parent, and started my life and career all over. I was in financial hardship, shaving the balls of my sweaters and sewing the holes in my socks and underwear.
Was I experiencing fear, worry, stress, and burnout? You bet.
I’ve always been a high achiever. I am a woman of powerful prayer. Yet I just couldn’t seem to get out of my rut.
The turning point was when I had a dream, and I dreamt that I was dying of cancer. Then 2 weeks later I found a lump in my breast. I said DANG IT, what the heck is happening to me?
That question, moved me on a quest of seeking answers. God responds to our seeking, this I am confident of.
Then one day I took my daughter to the library. As she did her own thing, I felt compelled to walk down a row or books and videos. A thought popped into my head and said, grab a movie to watch tonight. So I randomly pulled a video off the shelf, and realized it was an interview Bill Moyer had with the Doctors of Mayo Clinic. I then walked further down to the end of the row and felt prompted to pull a book off the shelf; it was “The Anatomy of the Spirit” by Dr. Carolyn Myss. Now I brought them both home. The video explained how the mind is not limited to the brain, but is in every cell. Our cells, it revealed, communicated to each other. And thoughts triggered the cells to move to different areas of the body. The book, in the VERY FIRST CHAPTER, referred to the video, on the Power of the Mind.
I took that as a sign, I needed to learn more. My struggles, my journey, my story became my career. What I learned compelled me to start a business helping others in ways I found amazing positive resolve.
Truly, change is inevitable for us all at one time or another. And when you remain hopeful, and keep on moving forward. You find yourself in unexpected places where miracles happen. Believe!