Feeling Like You’ve Lost A Bit of Who You Are?

Your days might be filled with back-to-back meetings, a mile-long to-do list and trying to lead your team through a challenging time, pushing long hours and feeling like you’re on a path to burning out.

You might be struggling to juggle all the different roles in your life – parent, spouse, leader, friend and more – and how to be there for others when you’re feeling tired and overwhelmed inside.

You want to slow down, feel more joy each day and be more present in your life. But you’re just not sure how to make that happen with everything going on and everyone else’s expectations.

And, deep down, you feel like you’ve lost a bit of who you are. I know, I've been there.

People often say they leave a job or make a big change in their life because the pace was too much or their manager was impossible to work with or they didn’t feel valued – all external circumstances.

For me, it was when I looked in the mirror and didn't recognize myself anymore.

When you feel like you are compromising your values and conforming to what everyone else thinks you should do, and you forget who you are inside.

When you complain and lose your patience with others (often) even though you don't mean to . . . or when you are simply tired and forget to smile and enjoy the small moments in life.

Early on in my corporate career, I worked with a Director who rarely smiled at people walking down the hallway - someone told me he used to be a happy-go-lucky type but had been worn down over time.

My cheery, upbeat, energetic go-getter self said that would NEVER be me!

At the very end of my corporate career, the biggest feedback I was getting day after day was to . . . smile.

I could say "I didn't like this" or "I didn't like that", but what it really came down to was that I lost a bit of who I was (and that was all on me).

It took some time with me getting clear on what I value and who I am, not taking life so seriously and finding the joy each day even when things feel hard .

Now, EVERY DAY I check-in with myself to see if I am showing up as who I want to be . . . as a leader, as a parent, as a person . . . and it helps me to stay on course and notice quickly when I'm not.

So, my question for you: Who do you want to be? How do you want to feel? What can you do today to embody that version of you?

This isn’t about being someone you are not . . . it’s about getting closer to the person who you really are.

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life." – Steve Jobs

What Next?

You can sign up for Stacey's masterclass, The Confident "No" here.

Stacey L. Olson is a Leadership and Certified Positive Psychology Coach, has 15 years of corporate experience and has gone through her own transformational change from burning out to balanced in life while performing at a high level (both in her corporate career and own business). She works with professionals who want to work less, live more and be their best even with all the demands, high expectations and messiness of everyday life. Stacey is the founder of The Balanced Leader™ program and offers executive and leadership coaching, workshops, and speaking.