A Decision that Improved Everything
About four weeks ago, I decided to finally let myself off the hook and stop waking up early.
For the past couple of YEARS, I have aspired to be an early riser. I mean, every productivity expert, health guru, and armchair expert can’t be wrong – right?
So like the dutiful, straight-A student that I am, I’d set my alarm for some ridiculous hour, lay out my workout clothes for the next morning, and promise myself I wouldn’t hit snooze.
On the days when I actually did follow through on my early morning wakeup, I’d enjoy the early boost of energy (and the smug satisfaction I’d get from calling myself “a morning person”)...but by noon I’d be cranky, miserable and trying to talk myself out of a nap.
On the days when I couldn’t actually get out of bed – opting instead to hit snooze over and over while mentally berating myself for not being “tough enough” or “committed enough” to my goals – I’d end up feeling defeated and deflated.
Rinse and repeat – for years.
But four weeks ago, something shifted. Specifically: I started being honest with myself.
I started to see that I don’t actually enjoy this brutal morning slog (shocker, I know). In fact, this awful routine of mine was actually having a negative impact on so many areas of my life:
My physical health
My emotional health
My focus and attention
My inner monologue
My self-esteem and my morale
Even my relationships and interactions with my family.
All of it going down the tubes because I was trying to do things the way I thought I was “supposed to” – and failing at it, every step of the way.
In the end, being honest with myself led to me making a very small change: allowing myself to sleep a bit longer in the morning.
But the impact that this tiny change has had? TOTALLY outsized.
All those aspects of my life that had been suffering improved once I started to get more sleep:
✅ more energy
✅ more focus
✅ more kindness to myself and my family
✅ more confidence
✅ more inner wisdom and self-leadership
✅ not to mention, more capacity to make healthy, sustainable choices for myself, including finding a new time to exercise that wasn’t before sunrise!
It’s a real-life example of what can shift when we choose to commit to one decision, one action step, in a specific aspect of our lives.
My new program, the Coaching Strategy Intensive, is built around this exact same principle:
Taking honest stock of what’s not working in your life, and committing to one specific action you can take to get you closer to the change you want.
Over the course of four weeks, we partner to help you:
Discover what’s not working in your current job or career
Define your values and priorities for success
Imagine new possibilities for your work one year from now
Design an experiment that you test and take action on – all in a month.
The cornerstone of the program is your private, virtual three-hour coaching session with me, but the entire month is filled with reflection activities, hands-on guidance from me, and accountability check-ins to track your progress.
But here’s where it gets really fun:
The Coaching Strategy Intensive will help you take tangible action in a specific area of your life – but the wins won’t stop there.
As you start to make progress in that particular area, you begin to see positive changes in the rest of your life, too.
If you want to stop forcing something that’s no longer working – and you’re ready to make a plan to take positive, sustainable action instead – now is your chance to sign up for the Coaching Strategy Intensive.
I am only offering this for July and there are only select dates available!
Read more and hit reply if you want to talk!
PS: Take it from Lauren, a recent Coaching Strategy Intensive client, who said:
“Ashley is a master in guiding you towards your most authentic self. Ashley invests a lot of time in getting to know you; every question or thought I sent her way resulted in what felt like a very personalized reflection. I've never been one to ask for help but am glad I did; Ashley supported me in ways I didn't know I needed!”
Check out if the Coaching Strategy Intensive is right for you.