Something I see from coaches regularly is that when something positive happens in their business, there’s total shock when something challenging also emerges rather simultaneously.

Like you raise your fees and sign your most high-fee client to date and feel more imposter syndrome than ever before.

Or you become more prolific, visible and omnipresent, sharing your ideas online, and receive criticism.

This is typically because “blessings” and “burdens” often coincide—you can’t get one without the other.

And as the “blessing” increases, so does the “burden.”

Normalizing this can give you some relief. Which is why I’m candid in sharing my own “blessings” and “burdens”—including the very personal ones from the past year I’ll share next.

Because I’ve recently been thinking a lot about the fact that, conversely, there is a blessing hidden in every burden.

For starters, this time last year I started working with a new business coach. After a few months it became clear to me that they had taken the strategies and IP I had developed in my own business and were making them their own. I knew I had to have a really uncomfortable conversation with them. I spent days thinking about how to have it in a way that was grounded and graceful. When I asked them about it, they became defensive and unprofessional. For a few days, I was really disappointed and hurt. Rocked by the confrontation—I’m human. But what a powerful lesson it was in trusting my intuition.

Over the summer, I had a handful of long term clients complete coaching containers and move on. For a split second I was anxious and worried—which I’m embarrassed to admit. And then I caught myself. “There’s a reason this is happening right now.” Lo and behold, even more aligned clients came on board in the weeks ahead. A natural process of out with the old to make room for the new.

Lastly, I was very fortunate to have an easy and enjoyable pregnancy this past year. So I had positive expectations for the birth as well. Well, I was in labor for 5 days. 4 at home and 1 in the hospital. More than 100 hours. In the 99th or so hour, after being 1 literal centimeter close to having the natural, unmedicated birth I envisioned, I ended up a c-section. It was the biggest lesson in surrendering to God / Universe.

It’s easy to look at someone who you perceive as a few steps ahead of you in a certain area and put them on a pedestal.

We all have blessings, and we all have burdens.

Whatever experience you might be having or are going through right now, when you’re in the thick of it… be it a separation, divorce, a bad argument, an illness or a slow period in the business, it can feel impossible to see the blessing when you’re in it. That’s because usually the blessing isn’t revealed until later down the road…

Know that there is a blessing on the other side of your burden.

Know that you’re not alone.

Know that you’ve got this.