It’s terrifying. I’ve been reading one of those law of attraction books – you know – the ones that talk about vibrational energy and thinking good thoughts. It’s great stuff. But I’m finding it very stressful. I can while away hours at work smiling and singing to myself – I love my job. I’ll even sit with my coffee and imagine the Range Rover parked on the drive (the book tells you to go into great detail here, so I’ve plumped for a black one with cream leather interior). But then yesterday I had my tax bill. I plummeted into a scowling shadow of my former self. A stroppy note arrived in my inbox from someone I’ve never heard of about something that was nothing to do with me and savaged my good humour. Yes a number of minor irritations intruded on my day, stretching my compassion for humankind to breaking point. And now I’m worried. By filling my head with negative thoughts have I undone all that good vibrating? Will I now find myself swimming in a sea of stroppy strangers while the black Range Rover stays firmly parked at the dealership?
I don’t actually believe that simply sitting dreaming of a luxury car will make it miraculously appear on my drive. But I do believe that a positive mental attitude – PMA – is essential to help me work my way towards one. It took me more than seven years after I qualified as a professional life coach to take that bold step and transform my life from corporate executive to coach and writer. And one of the main reasons I didn’t do it sooner was a complete lack of belief that I could actually hack it as a business woman. But I did. It took courage, energy and – yes – a great deal of PMA to get here. On good days when people are signing up for courses and calls are coming in from across the world nothing can shake my faith. But on those days where I’m faced with stretching myself a wee bit too far out of Zone Comfort or when a potential deal comes back as ‘maybe’ rather than ‘yes’, it’s the PMA that keeps me going and helps me slay the pesky demons in my head that are telling me ‘you can’t’.
One of the fundamental parts of my coaching role is to help people set targets. And being able to draw a detailed picture of what you want your life to look like is important. If you want to be hot to trot, you’ve got to have a clear idea of what you’re going after. So no, I don’t believe a bolt of lightning will actually deliver a shiny new Range Rover into my care. I don’t believe that cursing the bird who pooed down my washing as it billowed on the line will kybosh my chances of wearing Christian Louboutins to the Christmas party. But I do believe that being clear about what we want to do, have and be in life and having a sound self-belief that we can actually achieve those things are essential ingredients in designing the life we want.
Mary Keeley 