And It’s Not How You’d Think
You think life coaching is about making yourself do hard things.
As if I’ve got some mindset hack that lets me push through discomfort, override pain signals, and force my way to results.
That’s not what happened with my shoulder.
I started lifting a few weeks ago. My right shoulder clicks during overhead presses. Not painful exactly, just… off. (I think it’s just weakness in my shoulder muscle.) But then I had to figure out what to do about it.
Here’s what I didn’t do: I didn’t coach myself into ignoring it. I didn’t repeat an affirmation about strong shoulders or tell myself to push through.
I observed.
What feels good? What feels less good?
After a few sets, I noticed something. When I did arm raises before overhead presses, my shoulder clicked less. The movement felt smoother.
So I changed the order of my exercises. That’s it.
You already do this in small ways. You know which coffee makes you jittery. Which scrub pants ride up. Which shift handoff style leaves you feeling more prepared. You’ve gathered that data through observation, not willpower.
But what about the things that feel stuck?
Your schedule that leaves you exhausted by Wednesday. The patient interaction that derails your afternoon. The boundary you keep meaning to set but don’t.
You think the problem is that you haven’t tried hard enough. Your brain is wired to default to what feels familiar—even when it’s not working. You think if you just had more discipline, better systems, or a different personality, then you’d figure it out.
But that’s backwards.
What if instead of thinking “I need to make this work,” you thought “Let’s see what actually works”?
Same situation. Same constraints. Different thought.
When you think “Let’s see what actually works,” you feel curious. Open. Maybe even a little relieved.
And from that feeling, you do something different: You pay attention. You notice patterns. You try one small adjustment and see what happens.
My shoulder didn’t need more “willpower.” It needed me to notice what was happening and make one small change.
What in your work or life might benefit from the same approach?
You don’t need a complete life overhaul. You need to observe what’s working and what isn’t. Small adjustments compound over time. You need to adjust accordingly, even if it seems too simple to matter.
If you’re ready to stop pushing through and start experimenting with what actually works—if you want support figuring out what one small change might make a real difference—book a complimentary coaching consultation. OR, a coaching session as part of your Logan Health benefits. You’ll walk away with clarity on what’s actually happening and what’s worth trying differently. No five-year plan. Just: what’s working, what’s not working, and what to test next.
