I don’t stand still. Literally and figuratively. While my life coach has been telling me to take a break, I’m not so sure it is in my DNA.
I’m driven by purpose, not the desire for money, success or “the good life,” and that sense of purpose is a special ingredient that keeps me pretty busy. I’ve been put on this earth with a very specific mission to help people, and that’s a blessing or a curse depending on how you look at it.
So after leaving San Francisco in late November, I’ve been holed up in Bangkok working on the next step in that purpose: The launch of the Joy Love Club.
The Joy Love Club is the latest addition to my work as a relationship coach at Kowalke Relationship Coaching. The Joy Love Club is a live dating and relationship series for singles who are looking for that lasting relationship but aren’t quite ready for 1-on-1 coach. It is a virtual program, held weekly on Saturdays via interactive webinar, where other relationship coaches and I give tips and advice on finding and cultivating a lasting relationship.
We’re currently in Week 3 of the program, and so far it has been going very well. We’ve talked about online dating tips and tricks, how to date offline successfully, and keys for preparing yourself for that lasting relationship. So far we’ve had some great coaches on the program with me, including dating coach Greg Schwartz in San Francisco and Executive Relationship Coach Laura Lee Wood in Nashville.
While the program is going well right now, it has been a series of adjustments and modifications behind the scenes as I learn this new medium and grow the program. It feels like every day I wake up to something new and the question, “How do I do that?”
I’ve also been on a hiring binge, bringing on support staff to support this project and to lighten my load with my other business, EdChief.
All the setup and learning around the Joy Love Club has left me pretty busy. So busy, in fact, that I did a hat trick this year: I pulled all-nighters on Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve AND my birthday. My poor life coach.
But there’s been more balance than my schedule might imply. In the name of stability and to free myself for the project, I’ve been traveling a lot less since I left San Francisco.
There have been trips, of course. I spent several days meeting with new clients in the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, and scouted the idyllic northern city of Thailand, Chiang Mai, as a possible site for an upcoming Kowalke Coaching relationship retreat. Next month I also head to Manila and Cebu City in the Philippines. (See my public calendar for details.)
But mostly I’ve been settled in Bangkok since I left the U.S., working from my apartment here.
The calmness and stability have shown me that perhaps I should travel a bit less; staying in one place and returning to the same apartment after a trip has been very emotionally rejuvenating. So while I still am busy, the past few months also have had an element of vacation to them.
The next step is actually finding a deeper balance. I’m not ignoring my life coach completely!
I think I’ve nailed the issue of traveling, and you should be seeing me travel less this year and next; I’ll be spending more time in Bangkok, and focusing more on the virtual programs like the Joy Love Club.
But I’m still too busy. So the next step is relying more on support staff, saying “no” more often, and advocating for my needs a bit more. I give and give, and sometimes there’s not enough left over for me to keep giving. So I gotta find better balance.
The way to get me doing less is to tell me that it allows me to do more, basically.
Silly? Sure. But as a coach, I also realize the importance of working with what you’ve got. If I use my sense of purpose against itself while building the habit, so bit it. I’m still getting there. And right now, this change is feeling pretty good and organic. Real change takes time.
This is where that life coach comes in.
Like I said, I’ve been spending lots of time recently on my new venture, The Joy Love Club. If you’re single, or just curious and wanting to see what it is all about, I’d love to have you join me.
You can get a free pass to attend one of the upcoming live Joy Love Club events by clicking here. Obviously there’s no obligation. But I would love to share with you what’s got me excited right now.
Hope to see you soon!
Peter is a relationship coach, writer/producer, and R&D monastic. He splits his time between San Francisco and Asia. Read more about Peter.