E35: Caregiving is self-development on steroids

Each morning about 6:30, I put on my walking shoes and grab my ear buds for my 2-3 miles walk.  One particular thing this week got me.    I kept nodding my head and walking faster and faster.  My head was spinning when listening to a new podcast.   I couldn’t wait to get home to grab a piece of paper and write down my thoughts.  

I love podcasts that feed my soul with inspiration, self-help and self-development and ones that are just plain fun too.   Podcast listening is my jam when I am walking or working in my garden or getting ready in the morning.    

Ok… what was I listening to? I am trying to level up and be a better speaker.  It was my newest podcast that I recently added to favs.  My new mentor and speaking coach - The Heather Saeger show.  It was one from way back on Jan 6 where she interviewed Anna Nelson about Unlock a new level in your business using your superpower.    

It’s funny how you get more out of a podcast.  What I mean is that I got tips for improving my speech but also go tips to improving my caregiving.  

When I got home - I wrote in my journal all that I remembered plus…  

• Caregiving is self-development on steroids
• It requires you step up and start working on your mindset in a different way imagined
• It requires you to amplify your scheduling and coordination of everything - I put a super women cape next to my note.
• It requires a whole new discipline and shift to your self care 

I think you get the picture.  

What’s crazy is that you can’t really enroll in caregiving school and take courses and once trained you can then know it all   

So when you become a caregiver, you need to learn and adjust as you go.  

We all are different.  We all learn differently.  Our situations are different.  Our passions are different.  Our financial situations are different.  Our Loved One’s situations are different.  Our relationships are different.  Some of us have families or not.  Our personal situations are different.  

So that’s why I came home and immediately grabbed my pen and paper and wrote down Caregiving is self-development on steroids.  

I can’t get on this podcast and give you a step by step tool to work through each challenge.  Nor is there any perfect caregiver guide out there.  

I have been on this caregiving journey now since 2017 and I have been figuring it out and not figuring it out.  It requires a commitment my self-development.   I made the choice to take the driver seat.  My situation and choice is to work my passions and pursue my goals while caregiving.  Yes, I work my job, run my business and caregive.  With that decision, I choose to think like a leader in my journey vs letting it happen.  

I don’t know all the answers but I feel like I have grown tons over the last years because I adopted a self-development mindset with my leader mindset.       

I have learned through trial and error what I can do and what I can’t do.  It took me over two years to set healthy boundaries that I now call self-love boundaries.  I failed at this 100s maybe ever 1000s of times.  I am not perfect at this by all means but after continuing to learn and listen and assess I am on a better course to filling my cup first.   

Self-development is a commitment to look at yourself differently.  It requires you to admit your faults and be ok with making mistakes.  It requires yourself to feel uncomfortable and uneasy.  

When you are overwhelmed and feeling hopeless, you have to say, what can I learn from this.  What are my choices and how can I figure out this situation?      It’s ok to say, this soon will pass.  Or it is what it is.  But not learning from it will keep you stuck.

When you think like a leader or the CEO of your life with self-development, 

• you can evolve in your caregiver development, leadership development and continue to develop skills across a range of areas that help build a stronger you.  A stronger caregiver life.  A journey you are proud of, even when things get rough.  

• When you as a caregiving leader, begin to focus on self-improvement, this also helps with contributing a clear vision for you, your loved one and team.