Behavioural Change Coach Jana Schuberth's Self Discovery Lessons on How to Live a Life You Love
What makes you come alive? When I was working on my Master's degree and contemplating this very question, a friend of mine shared with me a quote by Howard Thurman (image found further down in the article).
After reflecting on that quote, I decided to create a blog as I love writing and connecting with people from around the world. Relationships are what make me come ALIVE. I’m so excited to have connected with the inspiring coach and creator of Alive in Berlin, Jana Schuberth. In the interview below, Jana speaks from her heart and talks about what makes her come alive.
After years in the corporate world of marketing and finance, Jana woke up one day and decided she’d had enough of living from weekend to weekend. So she set out to finding her passions and work that she actually enjoyed. Success criteria No. 1: to wake up excited! During her soul-searching journey, Jana fell in love with personal development and retrained as a personal lifestyle and small business coach. She successfully built LoveWorkNow, a community of career changers and solopreneurs, into a thriving global coaching practice. Jana is also a member of a small team of expert results coaches worldwide, and she uses the most advanced coaching technologies to transform the lives, businesses and bodies of hundreds of individuals. ALIVE is her dream come true! Read Jana's interview below.
What has been the best moment in your life so far?
I don't think there has been any single best moment, but many different ones in different ways. I love deep meaningful coffee chats with friends, beautiful moments in my relationship and marriage with my husband, lots of travel experiences all over the world, holding a friend's newborn, laughter with my sister, family gatherings, sitting on my bench outside the house with the sun shining and a chicken happily dozing off in my arms... those kinds of things.
What tips would you have for living a healthy life?
First of all, it's important to define for oneself what that actually means. Once you are clear on what you actually REALLY want (be slim, fit, eat well, be able to do specific things, etc.) and you know WHY you absolutely MUST have that and are committed with your whole heart, it's easy to figure out the steps. In my experience, it's not that we're lacking strategies, but that we can stand in our ways with limiting beliefs of what we think we can and can't do. So having clarity over the ultimate outcome is definitely a must, and is the best first step. For me, part of a healthy life are good nights of sleep, exercise in the form of running and Crossfit mostly, a good variety of healthy whole foods, a healthy relationship, walks in nature, and time for myself.
How do you motivate yourself to persist despite setbacks?
When I have screwed up, I always ask myself: What could be great about this? When the answer is "Nothing" I ask again: What COULD be great about this? It helps me gain perspective. Also I then focus on what I really want from here on out. Nothing is better than a compelling alternative or future to get me kicking back into action. Sometimes it also just helps to have a whine and a moan by being vulnerable and sharing my story with people that I respect and that love me.
What has been your biggest setback? How did you deal with it? What did you learn from it?
I suppose one of the darkest seasons of my life was the winter of 2008 when I was fired from PwC, one of the world's leading financial services firms, because I had failed the second to last exam of 10 twice and so my training contract was ended. I felt like a total failure for probably a year after that! But it also highlighted to me that I was massively off course. It felt so heavy! So I decided that I would continue with my training and exams to become a Chartered Accountant somewhere else and figure out what my next steps would be in the meantime. This led me on to hiring a coach in 2009 and setting up my own business in early 2010.
How do you deal with critics?
Just like everyone else, being criticised hurts. But instead of internalising the comments and letting my hurt drag on, I remember that what people say most of the time has nothing to do with me and everything to do with them. When I approach critics from this place of understanding, their words have less power over me and I am more empathetic towards them and their words and much more able to look at what I can learn from the feedback they have provided. Luckily it's rather rare for me to be challenged in that way. Maybe also because I have been shy so far to put myself "out there" so much, as to avoid such public criticism.
How important is social support in overcoming obstacles?
So important. Human beings are wired to connect with other people. We need others on a daily basis to help us overcome struggles, celebrate happiness, and find meaning. I cannot state enough the importance of building a solid support network to increase your happiness, to progress, and to change. But - it's also important to build the support network that matters to you - not to rely fully on default ones (people you know through work, your family, etc), because you might be seeking something that these social networks cannot provide.
What advice would you give others about goal setting?
Clarity is power! The more specific one can be about what one wants and WHY, i.e., what do you think it will give you, the easier it is to actually get "there". But also I believe in enjoying the process. If I want to do or achieve X, Y, Z in order to feel alive, excited or happy, then I ask myself: "How can I do what I am working on now AND feel those emotions already?" Otherwise, what's the point? We might just chase after something we THINK we will get/ feel when we get to our outcome, but so often, if we're not clear from the outset we can have all those things we thought we wanted and still not feel the way we wanted to feel. For example, certainty and confidence ALWAYS come from the inside and not any external factors, so we might as well start cultivating that right now.
What is your record worthy practice (i.e., a daily strategy that you do to feel your best)?
I pay a lot of attention to my thoughts and choose to focus on stories that are empowering me. Where focus goes, energy flows. This can be supported by a run to clear the head or change my state or simply by asking myself better questions. Instead of thinking "I just can't focus on this work right now" I ask "How can I complete this work today and totally have fun and enjoy the process?" The key to any empowered state are great questions, a focus on what you DO want (as opposed to what you DON'T want) and using my body in a way that helps me to open, to breathe and to stand/ sit upright!
Thank you, Jana, for sharing your lessons with us and for truly speaking from your heart. Keep writing, inspiring, and empowering others!
What life lessons did you learn from hearing Jana speak? What makes you come ALIVE? What advice would you have for your fellow bloggers who are afraid of sharing their story with others?
Thank you for reading and your presence at this beach retreat. You Rock! I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts in the comment section below.
See you at the beach!