Episode 56: From Burnt Out to Living My Dream Life

So often, when I meet with a new client, they are eager to change their life ASAP. And mama, I get it! Once upon a time, that is exactly what I wanted to do too. It took me a ton of hard work and heartache to realize that change does not necessarily happen overnight, but it can happen. And yes, way before your kids are off to college. I promise! Today’s episode is going to be all about my real-life transformation from an overwhelmed, burnt out teacher mom to a thriving, happy, small-business mom. If you want some inspiration for how to change your life, this episode is for you! 

How To Change Your Life: Upgrade Your Mindset

I was working with a mom the other day that told me that she just wasn’t strong enough to change her life. And you know what? That statement devastated me. Not because it was true, but because she had truly meant those words. It struck a chord with me, since it wasn’t all that long ago that I felt the same way. I genuinely did not think that I could change my life either.

Why? I had a fixed mindset. Even from a young age, I believed that you were born good at something, and I just somehow missed that. I remember thinking kids in my class were born good at soccer, or gymnastics, or math. It did not occur to me that everyone starts at the beginning. I also had a scarcity mindset. I truly believed that I needed to stay in a job that I no longer loved for the money. And to be honest, not even good money. And finally, I craved stability, consistency and a guarantee that I would receive 21 paychecks a year. 

Now, when I give advice about how to change your life, my first piece of advice is to fix your mindset. Work on your growth mindset, create systems and structures to help you break free of your scarcity mindset and talk to others who have gone through it. Once your confidence increases and you have safety measures in place, you will begin to see changes that you never thought were possible.

How To Change Your Life: Finding Happiness

To be honest, there was a season of life where I truly did not believe in actual, consistent happiness. Especially as a young mom, a lot of things felt hard and joy occasionally surged in to keep me going. But was that enough to keep me going? It didn’t feel like it. 

There is a day that will forever be burned into my memory. I was driving to work, along my normal route. I was at the four way intersection, waiting to turn left onto the road that my school was on. As I listened to my blinker clicking methodically, zoning out, I was hit with a sudden realization: I could not do this anymore. I was so miserable and every mile closer that my car got to school, the dread grew. I did not want this life anymore. I did not want this life for my children. I needed a change. It finally occurred to me that if I wanted my situation to change, I would have to be the one to do it, as terrifying as it was.

How To Change Your Life: Start with a Vision

So that is what I did. My first step was to create a vision for my dream life. What did I want my life to look like? This was not an easy question for me to answer. I had always had a very clear picture of what my day, month and year would look like based on a school calendar. Because of that, it took a lot of imagination to force myself to really dream. Luckily for you, I have created a Dream Life Quiz to really help inspire you through this process – you can check it out here!

Aligned Action Steps

If you are ready to learn how to change your life, this is the secret sauce. Consistent, right action. Once you have a vision in place, it is time to decide what action steps will move you towards that vision the fastest. For me, that was creating a small business. I invested in a photography class, purchased equipment, created a budget and began to research marketing. What didn’t I do? I did not waste time on making cutesy logos on Canva or worrying about writing blog posts. All of those things would come later. Now was the time to focus on the action steps that would lead to important changes the fastest.

How to Change Your Life: Know It Is Possible

And you know what? It worked. Eight months after I decided to make a change, I began my business. In addition, I took a part-time teaching job, with the intention of easing myself out of the teaching realm. Of course, Covid made this whole process extra interesting, and honestly, probably moved me towards my dream life even faster in a way. 

Why do I share all of this with you? Because mama, I am currently thriving in my dream life. I want you to join me! I did not have anyone to coach me or help me determine which steps were the right ones. But you do not have to do this alone, I am here to support you. If I can do it, you can do it too!

Let’s Make a Plan!

If you have not done this yet, it is time for you to take the Dream Life Quiz. If you are truly serious about learning how to change your life, this is the first step. This quiz is completely free and will take you less than 5 minutes to tackle. Your custom dream life vision will be emailed directly to your inbox, along with the 3 next aligned actions that you should take to accelerate your progress towards your dream life vision. And, of course, if you are ready to work together to make your dream life your real life, you can reach out here. I am currently operating on a waiting list, with spots opening up in mid-August 2023. 

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe on Spotify so you don’t miss next week’s episode. Be sure to tune in next week when we’ll be chatting about my favorite thing: personal finance and how to create your dream life budget! The best part? I’ll share my favorite way to start living your dream life budget today, with absolutely no additional income required – see you there!

Finally, if you want to connect between episodes, be sure to give me a follow over on Instagram – @sharonlegercoaching. I would love to support you on your personal growth journey!