Have you ever had a person, place, thing, or idea that you continuously go back to in times of struggle?

I think we can all safely say that we have been there a time or two in our lives. Sometimes, continuously going backward can be a poor choice and we find ourselves re-living past mistakes over and over – but sometimes looking backwards with the mindset of “I’m applying what I’ve learned” can be an amazing decision for your life.

It’s no surprise, judging from my blog or any of my social media for that matter, that I have been “off” the past few  months – if I’m going to be honest I feel like the majority of 2016 has been “off”. I have dealt with more episodes of depression-without-cause this year than I have in quite a long time – I blame it on overwhelm. Nothing earth shattering has happened to me (thank God), I am not going through any huge life change, all-in-all life is pretty darn good! I am blessed! Yet here I have found myself in this ugly, dark, damp, long-ass trench that I have been fighting to get out of for quite some time.

Lately it has caused me to do some serious reflection back onto times (like the past 3 years) where I have felt happiest, healthiest, and in control of my destiny – or if there were

moments that I couldn’t control, I was okay with that because I knew it was being used to propel me forward one way or the other.  Each of those times had one thing in common: coaching.

Many people see the whole “Beachbody Coaching Thing” as a way to make money or to fill your Facebook newsfeed with Shakeo Kissing Selfies and #FlexFriday posts. I get it. It can get annoying just like anything else. But if I’m being honest – it is one of the things in my life that ALWAYS brings me the most joy. And not the part about making the sale, or “hitting success club”, or rank advancing – but the part about helping others towards accomplishing their goals, and watching my own team accomplish their goals. The way that is done is by sharing your own journey and reaching your own goals. Others see you and think, “If she can do it, I can do it” and then you help them do it! Literally, everyone wins! How often does that actually happen in life??  You become better, your friends and family become better, and every does it together. That’s where the good vibes are found. That is the house of good juju.

As I was reflecting back I realized that I am my best self when I am actively trying to help others, and the best way that I know how to do that is through my coaching business. It keeps me on my toes as I am “forced” (I use that term lightly) to share my own journey with my followers – the good, the bad, the ugly. In order to best serve others, I must first take care of myself so it keeps me focused on taking in good literature, music, and people in order to keep my own mind sharp and positive. Finally, it surrounds me with the absolute best people that you could ever find on this earth. The ones who care, the ones who encourage, the ones who lift you up and only want to watch you succeed because they are exactly like you and get a huge high off of watching others accomplish THINGS. Seriously, there is no better moment than watching someone who thought they couldn’t do something, do it. I live for those moments.

When I stepped back a bit and allowed myself to “live a normal life” I came to find that the “normal life” looked a lot like hours of crappy television, hours of staring wondering “what should I do with my life now?”, hours of feeling depressed because you had nothing to keep you going, and just a huge lack of purpose. Lack of purpose being the most defining of all of those things. Without a sense of purpose, I felt deflated. A waste. No point in being more than average. Without a sense of purpose, I abandoned a crazy amount of things that made me feel my best previously: volunteering at the shelter, dog training, being with friends, being with my family, lip dubbing videos at odd times… I was a shell of a person the moment I stepped away from coaching. It was truly a downward spiral. But what goes down, also has the power to rise back up – and that’s what I plan on doing.

So for me, this starts a new season of my coaching journey and a new season of my life. What does your new season look like? Are you going to take something you learned and try and apply it to a place that you have previously abandoned? Are you going to stop doing what you *think* will make you happier, and go back to doing what actually made you happy doing it? Are you just going to read this and go back to Facebook and mindlessly scroll? Whatever you choose to do, remember that it takes one decision to change your entire life. Consider what you want for yourself, and don’t settle for anything less!

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 @Freelyfe_Nicole