Before this Quest my life was at a stage of transition. For years, I have been managing projects and consulting work for United Nations agencies, and Non-Government Organizations. After having been attacked twice (during a terrorist attack, and an armed robbery on my home) I developed PTSD. The NLP type counseling that I received, and the mental tools that come with it, put me on the track of coaching. In the mean time, I have taken certifications on Myers-Briggs Type Indicators (MBTI), Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) practitioner, and master practitioner from Richard Bandler, as well as Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) certification as Hypnotherapist with Marisa Peer. I decided to take this quest, since it was adding on to my suitcase of tools for a HOLISTIC COACHING practice. My mission has become to "COACH CLIENTS ON DEVELOPING A HEALTHY MIND IN A HEALTHY BODY IN A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT", through a coaching package that I label "INSPIRED FOR LIFE".
After taking this Quest I feel that the challenge has only begun. The course has taken me through a thorough reflection period on the "baseline" in which I learned to develop a relationship with my body. I became aware that I just "used" my body to live my life, and realized that I was not investing in it much. The lives we live are so profoundly influenced by commerce, visuals and imagery to buy and consume all that is better and bigger, but we are not asking ourselves the question "better for what exactly?" How is processed food BETTER for me? How are sugary drinks BETTER for me? They are not! Sugar is the no.1 culprit in my life. And through this course, I am making good attempts of banning sugar from my diet, other than a few pieces of fruit which provide just the sugar I need.
What I was hoping to achieve/learn was to go through my own personal transformation. I am somewhat overweight, but not in the sense that I have lost faith that I can not overcome. I felt that my body was ill, bones stiff, muscles weak. On top I was recovering from a broken upper arm, which caused me pain daily. With this body in a poor healthy state, and heavily procrastinating on going to the gym, I was taking on highly stressful consulting assignments, physically and mentally demanding, and I felt I reached the limits of what was possible for me.
Now after having taken this quest, I have reached a state in which I have completely changed my food intake. I have learned to identify what is good, and what is not good for my body. I love food, and certainly I love to cook, but there has been a major transformation towards healthier cooking, less eating in restaurants, and no consumption of any processed foods. I make my own condiments (i.e. pesto, dressings, etc.), use fresh produce, fresh lean meats/fish, and almost no carbohydrates at this point. I have started to lose weight: 7 kilos (15lbs) down. And at the end of the course I reached a plateau. My goal is to shed at least 15 kilos more.
I have learned much about the RACING MODE. The course went ahead, while I felt that I was not yet racing... There is a lot to incorporate in my life, to generate new habits, which i am pursuing. So I guess that is where I am now: integrating new habits into my life. A new morning routine, and most of all: a regular exercise routine. The pains in my body made it hard to develop that exercise routine. After exercises, my body responded with a strong warning: TIRED!! I NEED TO RECOVER!! But I am convinced that I will find a way that my body will start to take it on slowly, regularly. I shall persevere. I will show up time and again, until my body and I are developing the healthy mind in healthy body together.
Areas of my life in which I’ve noticed the biggest changes in my life is that I am more upbeat, more positive, physically already stronger, and clearly I eat so much healthier and ITS DELICIOUS. I have learned a set of priorities around which to build new habits:
1. cut sugar and eat healthy, plan my caloric intake and nutrients.
2. lose belly fat,
3. identify and reduce stress using 6 phase meditation and yoga,
4. increase the quality of my sleep,
5. increase movement (walking, training, workout, dancing),
6. create a healthier environment around me incl reducing endocrine disruptors. I have also learned that each is on their own timepath... I will develop these new habits slowly and steadily. My food is good now, next stop: movement and workouts, and I am looking forward to the 10X quest to do so.
1. cut sugar and eat healthy, plan my caloric intake and nutrients.
2. lose belly fat,
3. identify and reduce stress using 6 phase meditation and yoga,
4. increase the quality of my sleep,
5. increase movement (walking, training, workout, dancing),
6. create a healthier environment around me incl reducing endocrine disruptors. I have also learned that each is on their own timepath... I will develop these new habits slowly and steadily. My food is good now, next stop: movement and workouts, and I am looking forward to the 10X quest to do so.
My top 3 takeaways or insights during/after finishing this Quest are that my journey becomes the journey through which i can inspire others. There are so many people around me who are struggling either with motivation, life, their bodies, their purpose, yet they are stuck and not taking action. I have a suitcase of very valuable tools to inspire them to make a change and support them in their journey towards something that works better for them.
The plan is to start offering coaching packages for A HEALTHY MIND IN A HEALTHY BODY IN A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT during the course of 2022 through QOEN Coaching (www.qoencoaching.com). Looking forward to use all the Mindvalley tools, lessons, and packages to turn this into a new way of life. I am visualizing it... each day ... after day...
Love
Koen