We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Darla Nelson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Darla, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I believe we all are on our own journey’s and for all, the timing is different as to when we will find our purpose, or if we even will. Many people will spend years, if not decades, living in a career that brings them little to no satisfaction.
Previously I was a financial advisor for over 10 years and although I had worked really hard to obtain all the necessary licenses to be able to help my clients and sell financial products, I was not feeling passion in that career.
Over time, my health was affected by the influences of stress in the workplace as well as in life. I had experienced the down economy when homes were foreclosing, people’s investments were tanking, and I was feeling so responsible although so much was out of my hands. I started to notice how stress and anxiety was influencing my own health, which for me was daily, intense headaches, as well as the left side of my body would be tingly and numb.
And then my father died. I, of course, was quite saddened by his passing and felt a need during the months after his death, to really decide what I wanted to do, to be.
I decided then to go back to school and get certifications in Health and Life Coaching. At first, my practice was mostly around creating healthy habits, from the importance of drinking water to how we eat, and what we think about. And eventually, I began to study and learn more about the mind and how it works, and how so much of our health, our life, is influenced by our thoughts. My dad played a huge part in this even without him knowing, as he had mentioned Phil 4:8 many times the last 6 months of his life which basically says, “Whatsoever is pure, right, to THINK on those things.”
I began to really see that my purpose, what I love doing, is really helping people who have experienced any form of stress and anxiety in their lives, to embrace what I refer to as Healthy Habits, which then leads to a life of more peace and calm. I had learned these habits myself over the last years and I had seen firsthand how my life was changing.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
What I love focusing on in my coaching practice is really helping people to pay attention to how they view life, how they speak, to themselves and to others, and how that is affecting their lives. So many people have experienced stress at some point in their lives. And we go about doing the same lifestyle, and the same negative mindset, over and over, and we expect life to get better. And it doesn’t. In order for our lives to change, to flourish, and to really know joy, we must make changes. And it begins with our thoughts and the 6 inches between our ears.
I speak often on this subject that I call the “Power of Our Words”. It is good to remember that our words become our thoughts, our thoughts become our emotions, and our emotions will determine what we follow and do.
We often think about the words we say to others, but how often are you stopping and considering the words you are speaking, internally, to yourself?
We often don’t pay attention to the inner dialogue going on in our heads. We stay ignorant to the fact that all success or failure begins in our self-talk and self-thought
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I encourage you to use your WORDS AS TOOLS!
Have you ever told yourself, “I am fat!” “I look ugly”
“I am never going to make more money” ?? “I don’t deserve to be successful” ??
What if instead, you started asking yourself questions to prove otherwise?
Our brains, when asked THE RIGHT QUESTIONS, will search until it finds the answers…
So instead say, “Why is it so easy for me to lose weight?”
“Why do I believe that I will be successful and that my income will increase?
Do you see the difference? Do you FEEL the difference?
When we ask the right questions, our brain will start answering the questions…Just as when we make a negative statement or ask a negative question, our brain looks for validation as to why it’s true, so is it true when we ask the right questions…
As I coach people I am often told about words that were spoken to someone, that maybe the person speaking them might not even remember, and yet the person hearing them, years, even decades later, still holds on to them.
This subject is so powerful. I am really excited about my upcoming book that will go into this subject as well as others that speak to me and to the hundreds of others I have helped on this journey.
Being known as a HABIT CHANGER, I am grateful I can help others as well as myself to be aware of any negative habits that will cause us to stay stuck and instead learn to embrace what I refer to as “Healthy Habits” that will then take you from feeling stress and anxiety to one more of peace and calm.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
A super important skill if you will, to learn, is that we must focus on one day at a time. We often get too caught up in the journey, and the outcome, and yet if we stay true to our calling, it will help us to stay the course. I have had many a day of being discouraged during the course of gaining new clients, creating a brand for myself, and making connections in the community or even in the online space, and I had to realize that all I need to do is worry about today. One day at a time.
That is not always easy. Sometimes you will want to quit. You will feel like you are not even making a difference and you will wonder when you will find success. And yet for myself, I have to remind myself how far I have come. And how many people I am influencing on their journey of life.
This will take patience, trust, and perseverance. As an entrepreneur, it can be really hard. I encourage you to surround yourself with like-minded people, join a Mastermind of people who will be your cheerleader when you are down and celebrate with you during the wins.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
I love books. I am currently writing one myself!
I have so many books that have helped shape me and my coaching practice. A few of my favorites are “Switch on Your Brain” by Dr. Caroline Leaf. She really teaches how our thoughts cause even illness. Research shows that 75-98 percent of mental, physical, and behavioral illness comes from one’s thought life.
Another great book is “The Power of Positive Thinking” by Norman Vincent Peale. I love that this book is also spiritually based and a very enlightening thought from it was, “How we think we feel has a definite effect on how we actually feel physically.”
And I will say my all time favorite book is the Holy Bible. My business is truly created by my own life experience and a verse in Phillippians 4:8 which basically says that “Whatsoever is true, pure, right…THINK on those things”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://coachdarlanelson.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachdarlanelson/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/darlanelson.coach
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@coachdarlanelson
