With more than 20 years in the well-being profession (12 as a coach), I’m biased in saying — this is a magical field.

It is not enough to amass coaching skills. I have learned I also need to practice deep self awareness — to enable vulunerabravery — a conscious choice to be in a place of discovery with clients. 

As a member of several coaching communities, at a year-end meetup, I was offered a provocative, exploratory question: “What will it take to see my value in 2024?” 

I paused.

Then I reframed the question, “What will it take to continue to see my value in 2024?”

Words matter. They connect us to one another and to ourselves. 

Making the question my own allowed me to process it deeply, reflecting and listening to my inner wisdom. 

Exploring my current narrative, which contained narratives with limiting barriers, I internally asked in what ways am I aligning my values with my actions. 

That additional question resulted in a quasi-circular infographic of my core value — where I acknowledged “treating myself with love and confidence that exemplifies what I value”.

In what ways are you listening to yourself?

A hallmark of overall well-being is the ability to listen to oneself, trusting one’s instincts, while quieting the external and internal noise that create limiting barriers.

A form of self-trust.

This self-trust is an awareness of and understanding of who you are — an authentic expression of your agency. 

It calls for vigilance to not slip into false positivity or overly negative self-thoughts. 

It calls for discernment — peppered with wisdom — lifting up your self-knowing.

It calls for us to ask uncomfortable questions, while affirming your truth and what is meaningful, and checking in with your innermost thoughts.

The shoulds, woulds, coulds, and societal expectations are cleared out as self-awareness and confidence are developed in a nonjudgmental way regarding our thoughts and feelings. 

Listening to yourself is about cultivating a relationship with our being.

Start by understanding what we value by looking at our life and choices, and what brings both meaning and purpose. 

Then, ask the questions that allow for decluttering or quieting of the inner critic. 

Questions that allow us the opportunity for tapping into our wisdom while releasing what is unnecessary.

For example, the question posed to me by coach Mo Ali, “What will it take to see my value in 2024?” allowed me to reflect on what I value in this season of my life…

Redefining the value proposition I bring to my coaching & consulting practice. 

What question is calling you to give voice to your inner voice?