Are you your own best friend today?

Competitive golfers are encouraged to journal about their thoughts in the heat of the battle.  The most common trap is negative self-talk.  Sports psychologists  say ‘beating you up’ is the job of mother nature and your opponent: your job is to be your own best friend, so you can stay positive and keep your best golf possible.

Can we agree sometimes it’s hard to avoid beating ourselves up?  We’re all living in the same movie…it’s easy for unpredictable plot twists to trigger the negative self-talk. That’s why I’m so pleased to introduce you to my coach: Ellie Peterson.

Ellie’s life story gives credibility to the idea that we can learn to be our own best friend.  At 23 years old, she found herself divorced with three kids under 5 years old, making only $80 per week. “Nothing about my life was healthy,” she recalls.

At her low point, she realized her own negative self-talk was at the heart of her problems.  Today she’s a masterful coach, teaching people like me the very same affirmations that put her on the right path.

Ellie came into my life via the Good Leadership Breakfast.  After I joked about my new favorite book, “Working Out Sucks!”, Ellie marched up to me and said: “I can teach you to enjoy – maybe even crave – exercise that makes you feel good about yourself.” I politely listened and we exchanged cards.

She called me several weeks later, as if she were an angel. That week I had experienced a series of shocking plot twists in my personal and professional life. The voice in my head was me beating up so much that I drained my resilience.  Ellie caught me at the right time and introduced me to affirmations and Meditative Movement.  I’ve learned to crave the meditative repetition and to also work on my faith. In short, she is teaching me how to be my own best friend.

Goodness comes in so many different forms and in so many different people.  WCCO TV recently did a short feature on Ellie, if you watch this clip, you will recognize me as one of her coaching clients.  At 50 years old, I’m grateful to have learned how to be my own best friend…and it’s helping my golf game too.

Good leaders make a habit of being open to hearing new perspectives in the face of shocking plot twists.  And we have the courage to become our own best friend when life causes us to beat ourselves us up.

Send us a note and I’ll introduce you directly to Ellie Peterson.