The wheels on the bus go ka-thunk, ka-thunk, ka-thunk

Photo credit: AlishaV of Flickr

Yes, I have changed the words to that age-old children’s song to make my point today. For those who are not familiar with the tune, it goes like this:

The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round,

The wheels on the bus go round and round, all through the town.

I apologize if that little ditty is now playing non-stop in your head…

Life is good when the wheels of your life roll smoothly along. You feel so blessed and so joyful, and yes, you may even have moments of peace as well.

What happens, though, when one or more of your tires have gone flat? How bumpy does your daily ride become, and who else does it effect?

Perhaps you are feeling that your work is no longer fulfilling. Maybe you desire a closer relationship with your spouse, your children or extended family. You may want to be healthier, or more active, or to deepen and enrich your connection to God. You may not even know what is wrong, but you just know that something is off, that your life is not in balance.

I had been feeling for some time now that my bus had slowly drifted into a ditch, and I was just spinning my wheels. My problem was, though, that I didn’t know how to move forward. After much searching and prayer-intense, open, down on my knees because I realized I couldn’t do this alone prayer-I met a career coach, Joel Boggess of 4 Points Coaching, and signed on for his help.

I was not looking for a coach and I had never considered working with one. That being said, my time with Joel has been delightful, full of hard work and lots of thought, and it has paid great dividends. I have direction and goals. That is a big change for me, as I have never been very good about setting or achieving goals. I have become intentional about my time and what I want from my life. I also have a great deal more hope, as I am now working on designing the life I want around work that I love. I highly recommend Joel and the work that he does.

Midway through our process and then again at the end, Joel interviewed me for his podcast, Finding Your Voice. I invite you to take a listen here for “If I look inside will I find anything there?” and here for “It had to trip my trigger”. Not only did he interview me, but he also interviewed Alexis, my oldest daughter, who had some terrific insights about the process and the results. Her interview-A daughter’s perspective: “It jump-started our whole family” can be heard here.

One other point of which I became (painfully) aware was that when the mom or dad in the family has a life that is out of balance it effects the entire family. Truly, it is like riding in a bus with flat tires. Ka-thunk, ka-thunk, ka-thunk. It makes for a very bumpy journey with unhappy parents whose dissatisfaction is palpable to the rest of the family, regardless of their intentions to keep it from the kids.

So, dear readers, I invite you today to take a close look at your life and check the pressure on the wheels of your bus. What do you need to do to make the wheels of your life roll smoothly along?