Coach And Speaker Elana Van Deventer On How To See Ourselves Correctly And Align Our Thoughts
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I’m a South African living in Canada. The move overseas is a bit of a picture of where I’ve gone in my own internal journey. I used to react to circumstances, people, and myself based on lies that I already believed in my head. It was ugly, regardless of how pretty the picture was on the outside. But somehow, in the transition of everything that felt normal to me, I made a leap in my mind as well to a new territory. For the first time in my 38 years, I had the truth revealed to me in a way that penetrated my deepest thoughts. It was just seconds but the effects of it will ripple throughout my lifetime and into the lives of others. It’s my deep joy to dig through the layers of what women believe to find the treasure of their true identity and then align their thoughts, habits and dreams so that they can live out their real purpose, regardless of their vocation.
At what point in your life did you decide that you want to be an alignment coach?
I would say the stirring to make a difference in peoples’ lives has been there for a long, long time. I just didn’t know it would come through this.
The title of what I’m doing is constantly being refined as I gain new insights, but honestly, it was really at the onset of the Covid pandemic that I felt the inner push to finally go after it.
What are the 3 key points you mainly focus on while giving motivational
speeches?
Identity — without this, we’ll search for ourselves in the approval of others, the accolades of a successful career, or in any number of other addictions
Purpose — it’s so easy to feel stuck and restless, but I think those feelings are a good thing, pointing us to something more out there for us to be a part of
Worth — human life is devalued all the time and we become desensitized to it, when our very existence is miraculous and an everyday wonder.
Please shed some light on your upcoming book ‘Life In Full Bloom : 30 Days to Grow Into Everything You Were Made To Be’.
Oh, this is so fun. I’ve been so energized by declarations for awhile now. In my personal life, I’ve seen such a shift in what declaring and believing can do. It changes my attitude and outlook! It’s exhilarating and part of my regular routine. So, I wanted to introduce the women in my life to what consistent declarations and truth confessions could look like for them. It’s kind of a bizarre thing to try on your own, unless someone shows you first. This book is like an introduction into letting beautiful truth flow into the five different elements of life: our identity, our purpose, our influence, our community, our circumstances, and our bodies. Life in Full Bloom is all about taking action, even when, or especially when, everything around you looks dead. It’s about actively hoping and choosing to see a garden bloom where there currently is only a desert. Each of the 30 days contains a short story inspired by an experience in the life of myself or my co-author, or inspiration from a biblical story, and then the following page is the part that’s interactive. There’s a personal, relevant declaration connected to our stories and, more importantly, your stories. We want each declaration to meet the reader in the place they’re growing or even afraid to grow in. Because so much of our lives happen first inside our thoughts, we believe there is serious, consequential neurological activity happening when we decide to believe something. Then, permanent change happens when we attach an action to that thought. If you want to see change, it isn’t enough to agree. We must stand in agreement and vocalize it.
What are your notions on women empowerment? How do you think women can become the best edition of themselves?
Starting right at the core is, according to me anyway, the key. Knowing your true identity is like turning on the light inside your mind and heart. You start to see yourself for who you are. This is what we aim to do with the alignment coaching launching this year. Second, I believe in order to become the best edition of yourself you need to have an unshakable foundation. This is not something that changes like our vocational calling for example our work or job description. This is your purpose, and that’s connecting the dots between your unique mind and heart’s desires. Especially in the day and age we
are in, if these things are not aligned, you will never stop competing with others and second-guessing whether or not you’re living a fulfilling, successful life. The more a woman is empowered to walk in her raw and brilliant identity, the more a community of sisterhood will flourish.
As a mompreneur, how do you balance your professional and personal life?
Let us be honest, this is probably always a work in progress. I would be lying if I told the readers I’ve got a perfect balance. Especially with my personality, it’s all or nothing. Having grace for ourselves especially those days when we did not completely get it right is important. No wonder it’s on my goals for 2021 as well! And I expect it to continue to be a priority every year. I’ve incorporated a couple of boundaries since the beginning of the business.
Weekends are detox, focused quality time. So, I usually don’t answer calls or emails then. I don’t post on social media during the weekends generally, because I don’t want myself or my clients to be there. I want us to be off our phones and out in the world with the people we love. Evening dinners are also cell phone-free zones. But other than that, I’m so glad to have a device I can stick in my pocket while I run errands and, if an impromptu meeting needs to happen in my car (which it sometimes does), then there’s a way to make that
happen.
What advice would you give to all the women who are reading your interview?
Just stop whatever you’re doing and give yourself five minutes to answer this.
Do you know yourself? Do you like yourself? I spent a lot of time trying to accomplish things so that I could eventually like myself, but the truth was, I didn’t know the real me. She’s not only lovable, but totally likable. The only way to really see ourselves correctly is to do so through the eyes of God, our designer. Without understanding his grace and intention for me, I felt like I had something to prove. I want women to know they can live free of that pressure and enjoy themselves.
What are your goals for 2021?
I’ve got two words for this year. KNOW and MORE KNOW means digging further and further into the space I’ve been called to light up. As I
invest in learning about myself, I actually get the revelation that goes far beyond myself. I want to fully encapsulate knowing God and knowing myself to the highest degree I can. MORE is the practical side of things Successful Morning routine — leads to productive days More Quality time with my family and being present in the moment
More Growth
More Reading
More Courage
More Confidence
More Obedience
Serving others
Where can our readers connect with you?
