274. Coach Uses Victory Over Pain to Build "Instant" Connection with Clients

“Ever since high school, photography was a passion of mine. I’d done it part time for years and years, mostly for portraits and weddings. I loved it. But I kept coming back to the question am I really making a difference in people’s lives? I make a situation beautiful and I photograph it, and I never shoot them again. I make people look good. But for my career, I just went into sales because I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t have very high self-esteem, but I was really good at upselling and adding on products. So, the company brought me in to the Customer Service department to teach them how to do it, and I ended up taking over their department a few months later.

I would constantly come across articles saying customer service was one of the top ten hardest jobs in the world. I thought, why in the world, while I’m dealing with depression, am I doing this job?”

“About six years ago, I changed the questions in my life. Instead of asking, ‘Why is this happening to me? Is God or the Universe mad at me? Am I being punished?,’ I changed the question to, ‘What am I supposed to learn from the things that are happening to me and why have I been given these challenges?’ The minute I did that, a light went on in my life. It’s not that everything got better instantly, but I took my eyes off myself and started to take baby steps. I started looking for opportunities to reach out and help other people, and that, in turn, helped me. As Zig Ziglar said, “You will get all you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want.”

“Dealing with 40-years of mental illness put me in a great position to help others dealing with that. About three and a half years ago I beat my depression and anxiety, my mental illness. So, to be able now to instantly connect with other people and understand their feelings, fears and emotions is a blessing and a miracle. The coaching definitely flows from that.”

1. Finding help may not be easy, but it is possible. Don’t give up your search until you find what you need and want.

2. Face challenges with the question, “What am I supposed to learn from this?”

3. Apply Zig Ziglar’s wisdom: “To get what you want in life, help other people get what they want.”

4. Use your life experiences to deepen your empathy.

Choosing Clarity: The Path to Fearlessness, by Kimberly Giles

The Depression Miracle: Seven Keys to Shattering the Chains of Anxiety, Depression, and the Unfulfilled Life, by Greg Thredgold