We are all mapmakers and travelers. While preparing and packing for travels around the country, I’ve been listening to Brene´ Brown’s book, Daring Greatly. Early in the book she introduces the idea that we are all mapmakers and travelers. This really stuck with me. Perhaps it’s because I love both maps and travel. With a map, I can see unlimited possibilities and a way to get there. Furthermore, there’s something intriguing to me about going where I’ve never been, about finding my way, and experiencing people, places and things out beyond the comfort of my backyard. I love imagining where I’ll go and what I might do as I plan my next adventure. And, I do believe we are all mapmakers and travelers of life.

Whether by design or default, we are all mapmakers and travelers.We are creating our life’s experiences through our thoughts and beliefs. For example; how do you feel about Monday mornings? Socially there’s a lot of disdain for Mondays. I see it in the Facebook feed on Monday mornings. It’s back to work, end of enjoyment of the weekend (which is another social construct…for another day). Are you a Monday loather? Have you ever asked yourself what you really believe about Mondays and why? Do you believe their bad simply because you think you’re supposed to? Because everyone else does? What feelings does it evoke when you think Monday’s are bad? Is this the experience you want to have? More importantly, is this how you want to feel?

Our thoughts and feelings are important components to our mapmaking. Dreaming, visioning, and feeling into what we want in life, how we want to feel, and who we want to be are all tools of mapmaking. One of my favorite mapmaking practices in coaching is leading clients through a future-self visualization. It allows the client to immerse herself into the unlimited potential that she is and feel into who she is becoming. It opens up possibilities and begins to set the course in the direction she wants to go. This is mapmaking!

We are travelers of our own life experiences. No one else travels through this life exactly the same way. We can take steps to lean into the things we are dreaming of, into the feelings of what we desire, or not. The choice is always ours. I had been thinking about life coaching long before I actually trained to be a coach, and there were many small steps (turtle steps in the Martha Beck coaching world) and some big leaps taken to bring me to this place. And, there have been a few wrong turns along the way most of which have brought me to a new understanding or greater awareness of myself. This is my way of traveling.

Becoming a mapmaker and traveler by design requires time, attention, compassion, and lots of self-care. This is where coaching comes in. Coaching is a gift we give ourselves to obtain tools and practices to turn inward, to listen to our heart and get clear on what we want. It brings new awareness to what we’re thinking and helps us to question our beliefs about ourselves and our choices. Working with a coach, we identify ways to be more compassionate and gentle with ourselves as we travel, building a self-care plan for the road.

We are all mapmakers and travelers. You are the mapmaker and the traveler of your life. What is it you desire? Where would you like to go? Let’s work together to get you there.

From my heart to yours,