Eighteen months ago I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. It was a huge relief as I had been feeling very sick. After starting with Metformin, I now manage my condition solely by diet. It’s been quite a journey. At my recent check my diabetic nurse said to me “I hope you are very proud of yourself, I don’t think you realise quite how good a job you are doing here”. She asked what I thought of my progress.
It was strange. I work as a coach and am usually quite keen on celebrating success. I found myself feeling nervous; unwilling to acknowledge my progress. The fear of going backwards is always there.
It’s been a team effort particularly with family and friends. In today’s world, it’s hard to be consistently low carb and low sugar. In practical terms, low carb means avoiding or having small portions of refined carbs. These are present in bread, pasta, rice and potatoes.
I have needed to replace these with less refined, higher fibre options such as chick pea, lentils and (so called!) ancient grains. To avoid sugar, I now look at cake as works of art; I admire them from afar and appreciate the amount of time and effort that goes into their creation!
We’re all different. I miss bread and almond croissants the most ☹
Speaking more positively, so many things are back in. Protein and fat: such as full fat Greek yoghourt, nuts, olives, eggs, cheese, avocadoes, humus, fish and meat! As you can imagine, this too has been an adjustment, and my food bills have gone up!
I do allow myself treats and choices, and on these occasions really take the time to enjoy the carbs I eat. I support my diet changes with exercise too, all part of my wake up call to look after my health.
So how did I reply to Lucy, my diabetic nurse?
I said I felt lucky to have a personal strength in persistence. This had got my arm straight with the difficult physio exercises after I broke my elbow, had got me to the top of Annapurna Base Camp in Nepal, and now was helping me take a long term view.
My strength with persistence helps me with discipline, endurance (long or short), and commitment. It helps me get to the end of something, focus on the long term and the benefits from seeing things through.
My strength in persistence is an awesome resource and my friend.
I also feel lucky that with my expertise in strengths, I have taken the time to really get to know and own all of my strengths, and to develop an understanding of where and when they can show up best in my life.
My strength in persistence sits alongside some of my other strengths in resourcefulness, love of learning, teamwork and relationship. These combine to help me stay on the journey, also calling on self compassion for the days when I fall off the wagon, and need to get back on again.
Our strengths are not always for the good times, or the sunny side up goal or aspiration.
They are essential for the hard times too.
If you would like to get more familiar with your strengths, and focus your unique combination of strengths on your goals, get in touch. I would love to help you make your strengths into awesome resources and friends too.
Gill How is an internationally recognised speaker with her keynote “Switch On Your Strengths”, a Leadership Developer and Master Executive Coach. If you would welcome an exploratory conversation to find out how Gill can help meet your or your organisation succeed, get in touch:
“I had the pleasure of being coached by Gill during a leadership course, and I found her impact to be genuinely transformative. Her energy, authenticity, and ability to blend real-world experience with thought-provoking content made each session engaging and meaningful. Thanks to Gill, I came away with greater clarity, confidence, and a renewed sense of purpose in my leadership journey.“
Neelanjan Ganguly, Director of Finance Projects, First Group
