Introducing Coach Houston!
They say you need to be very specific when you are manifesting - when you are speaking your dreams and goals into existence.
In Jan 2022, my fiancée and I were journaling about our personal, financial, and familial goals and one of the things we agreed on, was that we wanted to travel more to see her family. We made a nice long list of cities and people to see! One month later, her mom passed away unexpectedly, and for the next 3 months, we saw more of her family than we ever thought we would. #RIPMom
That was a heartbreaking example, but I'm just sharing to drive home the point. When you are trying to bring something new into your life or change your situation, you need to know what you want and how you want to receive it. You can say "I want to meet my soul mate" or you can develop a detailed list of what this person looks like, acts, like, smells like, and values. Even then, soulmates don't always end up together, so you can be even more specific.
Plus we've all heard of SMART goals right? Goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-based. So if you don't believe in the word "manifestation," then maybe the phrase 'SMART goal' is better for you.
In July 2023, during my presentation about consulting at the National Pharmaceutical Association (NPhA) National Convention, I told the audience that they should take advantage of scheduling a free call with me sooner than later to discuss their goals in entrepreneurship, because I was going to start charging for "coaching" soon. I had no prior plans of actually starting a coaching arm of my consulting business, but this announcement was important because I had been attending conferences all summer and meeting people who wanted to connect and learn more about entrepreneurship and marketing.
For example, in June, at a conference in Mississippi, I met a pharmacist working at a large (and stressful) chain pharmacy who had been contemplating leaving her job to pursue her crochet and craft business full-time. She was inspired by my decision to leave the workforce to pursue consulting full-time, so once I returned to NC, I started checking in with her about every 3 weeks so we could talk all things business, entrepreneurship, and marketing. It was valuable for me to hear about her business pursuits as she started making strides towards her goals, and I enjoyed seeing her gain value from my marketing tips and business suggestions. She also just made me the CUTEST little #pride turtle!
Was I specific about my goal of coaching other entrepreneurs? Not at all.
So instead, last week, an opportunity arose for me to join the Dream Big Basketball Academy as a Coach for their Fall Skills Academy 2023! For 3 hours, 3 days a week, I'll be coaching boys and girls in grades K-12 to help develop their fundamental basketball skills (ie passing, shooting, dribbling) and I am so excited!
So now you can call me Coach Houston! 🏀🏃🏽♀️
I had been thinking about getting into basketball coaching as something that I could do in the evenings, outside of my work hours, that would also allow for mentorship and giving back, and as a former collegiate basketball player, bring me joy. I'm also attending a wedding in Mexico this December, so I appreciated the chance to earn some extra spending money, doing something fun, away from my laptop screen.
What's the play?
God has a sense of humor - go with it when you can. You are not in charge.
Dream Big because you never know what opportunities are waiting out there for your dreams to catch up to them.
Specificity is key, so be VERY clear about what you ask for when you are designing your life and write it down.
There's ✨magic ✨ in thinking about something and then seeing it come to fruition.
There's more to life than work! If you feel like you are burned out or stuck in a rut, getting back into hobbies that you enjoyed when you were younger will bring a sense of JOY to your life that you didn't know you needed.
Collaborate with the Universe. Don't just think about and write down your goals, work towards them by building small habits into your daily routine.
It doesn't matter what you want if your negative self-talk and limiting beliefs get in the way. Fix your mindset and believe that you are deserving no matter what.
Most times you have to let things go that do not serve you, in order to receive blessings that serve you, and your spirit, for the better.
Who leaves the pharmacy workforce and starts coaching basketball instead? I guess ME! You really can do anything you want once you allow time and room for it. So I dumbed-down my resume, applied last week, interviewed two days later at a Starbucks, and tonight is my first day of camp with the kiddos.
Wish me luck!