The hardest thing to do in life
What is the hardest thing to do in life?
Years ago, in my darkest moment, this question came and sat with me. Dying felt easier than living. Getting up, doing it again, choosing a life that felt impossibly heavy. That felt harder.
I chose to live. Choosing to live didn't make life easier.
Because the hardest thing to do in life has nothing to do with living or dying.
The hardest thing to do is let go.
What letting go actually feels like
I learned this the painful way. I was standing in front of someone I had strong feelings for. A door between us. A week of waiting for a face-to-face conversation I already knew the answer to. He was on the floor. I was in the doorway. And I had a choice.
Stay and shrink to keep the friendship. Or honor what I actually wanted and walk away.
I walked away.
It hurt. It was also the most honest thing I'd done in months.
The pain of leaving was real. But that wasn't the hardest part. The harder part came after. Letting go of who I thought I'd be on the other side of staying.
The hardest thing to do, applied to your business
I think about this a lot now in my work with coaches.
Because here's what I see all the time. Coaches come to me with the same kind of grip. Not on a person. On an idea.
The idea that one more certification will make them ready.
The idea that if they just keep posting, the right clients will find them.
The idea that being good at coaching is enough to fill a roster.
And the hardest thing to do in their business is let go of those ideas.
Let go of the idea that more credentials will fix the marketing problem.
Let go of the idea that the right clients will magically appear when you're "ready enough."
Let go of the idea that selling is gross, that asking for the sale makes you pushy, that visibility is for other people.
Those ideas feel safe because they protect you from doing the actual hard thing. Which is putting yourself out there, naming what you offer, and inviting people in.
What is the most difficult thing you're holding onto?
For some of my clients, it's the way they used to do business. The free sessions that never converted. The vague "I help women find their purpose" tagline. The price they're scared to raise.
For others, it's the version of themselves who didn't think they could charge what they're worth.
Letting go of those things hurts. It's also the only way forward.
You're not stuck because you're not good enough
Life, and a coaching business, is made up of little reality courses. Hard lessons that show up over and over until you're ready to face them.
You're not stuck because you're not good enough.
You're stuck because you're holding on.
Let go of what isn't working. Let go of the version of your business that was built for who you used to be. Let go of the idea that you have to figure it out alone.
Then take the next step.
Ready to let go of what's not working in your coaching business?
If you're a coach who knows it's time to build something that actually attracts clients, I'd love to talk. We'll look at where you're stuck, what you're holding onto, and the one change that could move you forward fast.
