When I feel alone and unsupported, this is what I do

Do you ever feel like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders, like everything is riding on you? Do you worry about holding it all together and that you're all alone in that struggle?

Boy, do I. Sometimes I feel it when I work hard all day and night and then still have to tackle a huge pile of dishes and make my daughter's lunch. Or I feel it when I have to switch hats from business owner to content developer to speaker to coach.

I get tired. I get grumpy. And this usually leads to my either wanting to blame someone else for how I feel or for just beating myself up for not having more support.

This Fall I was on a speaking spree, giving over 20 talks within a few months - so naturally this sensation of overwhelm ensued. Thankfully, one fine day, I had enough awareness to interrupt my ego's tirade and pity party. 

Okay, Stella, I challenged myself, "how else can you look at this?"

"Prove to me," I said to myself, "how supported you already are! "

So I went onto notice, "Well, in addition to my team that supports me in doing my work, I'm also supported by...

• My daughter's school that cares for her during the day
• Wholefoods that cooks my lunch so I can save time and eat healthy
• The farmers who grow my food so I don't have to
• The utility companies that keep water watering and the heat on
• My husband who makes me coffee and helps get my daughter dressed in the morning
• Nordstrom Rack who sells nice clothes for decent prices and is a quick drive away
• The weather channel that tells me how to dress in the morning
• My family and friends who love me and check in on me
• The people who built my house
• The engineers who designed my computer and the software I use
• The trees that grew to be the floors in my home

Do you see where I'm going? I could go on and on and on. Sure, this exercise felt forced in the beginning, especially when my ego was in full throttle and my body was tired, but eventually the tide turned. Eventually I experienced a vast sense of support and lightness in my heart. It was as if the colors I saw became brighter and the world, a kinder place.

I can't hold onto that sensation for long, but whenever I start to feel sorry for myself, I try to remember that almost every single step I take, and breath I make, I am being supported by someone or something.

Here's to your recognizing the beauty and bounty that is NOW at your feet, always.

Happy 2019.

Stella

P.S. I did a Work Happier Weekly segment on this - if you have 10 minutes and want to receive more about this insight, go here.

What is Stella up to?

Every Wednesday join me for Work Happier Weekly on Facebook Live at 8:30pm ET. Make sure you like the @Woopaah page. Watch previous segments here.

Stella was a guest on the Purpose Girl Podcast with women's happiness expert, Carin Rockind. Listen now.

Jan 8th: Stella's Podcast Interview on Ellevate Women's Network is released

January 10th: Stella returns for her 3rd podcast interview on Curiosity.com

January 15th: Stella returns for her 3rd podcast with The Bulletproof Executive, Dave Asprey

January 18th: Speaking at Dow Jones

January 23rd: Teaching a free webinar for Happify.com (registration link coming soon!)

February 13th: Teaching for BizLibrary

As a speaker and executive coach, Stella Grizont works with overachievers who are seeking deeper career fulfillment and with organizations who are dedicated to elevating the well-being of their employees.

In the last 14 years, Stella has coached over 1,500 individuals in over 24 countries. Some of Stella's corporate clients include Google, Johnson & Johnson, VMWare, and Genentech.

Her unique approach to being happier and more engaged on the job has been featured on MSNBC, The Today Show, NPR, Entrepreneur, and Vanity Fair. Stella was one of the first 150 people in the world to earn a master in Applied Positive Psychology (aka the science of happiness) from the University of Pennsylvania.

She lives in New Jersey with her husband and daughter, who continue to teach her what life is all about.

Interested in Stella speaking at your organization or coaching with her? Let's chat.