“Comparison is the thief of all JOY”

By Caroline Bellenger

I did some research on what I would require becoming a Life Coach and I found two distinct categories. The first included a plethora of ego driven social media coaches proclaiming to have the answers to all your life’s problems in an “easy” seven days. The second category included a group of Guru’s whose reputations, life skills and millions of followers immediately disqualified me from even contemplating such a career change. How could someone as insignificant as me possibly offer anything as worthy as they did?

I had done a lot of self-development work in the years earlier, so it surprised me that I felt so insecure about this choice of career. I started to delve deeper into what was holding me back. I knew it was not a lack of experience as I had plenty of that to share in all areas of life, business, and health. I have always been a cross your T’s and dot your I’s type of person so maybe it was because I did not have a certificate to say I was qualified? Within a few months I got qualified but that only slightly diminished my feelings of imposter.

I cannot say exactly when my realisation happened, but when it did, it hit me like a lightening bolt. “Comparison is the thief of all joy” – Theodore Roosevelt. The reality was I knew I could help people but by comparing myself to other life coaches I was letting all those people down. My knowledge, my skill, my experience had the ability to change people’s lives and it did not really matter whether I had a million followers or a seven-day solution. By comparing myself to other people I completely devalued my own worth and ironically that was exactly what I wanted to inspire other women not to do!

Read the complete article in the new issue of Mumpreneur Movement Magazine.

Caroline Bellenger is a passionate life coach, motivational speaker and creator of ‘Be The Impossible’ courses. From childhood sexual abuse to over twenty years of addiction and mental health issues, Caroline finally got sober in 2009. Since then Caroline has gone on to represent Australia in triathlon, climb to Everest Base Camp, complete an honours degree, compete in national Surf Life Saving events, have a successful corporate career and currently operates a thriving fitness business. She achieved all of this as a sole single parent while volunteering over fifty hours a year to various community organisations, including being an active surf lifesaver. Caroline is passionate about inspiring women to reach their dreams. Caroline emphatically believes that if she can overcome significant life obstacles, then any woman given support and encouragement can achieve the impossible. Her life purpose is to help others find fulfilment and happiness in their own lives.