How Does the Coaching Process Work? Can’t I Get to a Quick Fix?
Whatever situation we’re trying to “fix” or improve in our lives, we are often hunting for a solution that’s quick and easy to implement. It’s tempting to latch onto that advertised promise of an “easy proven process” that always delivers amazing quick results and has “already helped countless people just like you”. While that may work with finding the right stain remover or unclogging a drain, a more complex situation affecting your well-being is a whole different story.
When it comes to your well-being, the strategy that worked for some people in no way is guaranteed to work for you. What gave your friend miraculous results may just make matters worse for your own circumstances. Each human being is unique, and so each of us needs an individualized solution. I do have a process for working with each client that always works –it’s guided self-discovery coupled with intentional action.
How Can Guided Self-Discovery Get Me The Result I Want?
Imagine you wanted to hike a new trail but were feeling uneasy, fearing you may get lost. You can purchase a map from a popular expert leaving you to figure it out on your own. Other experts might walk in front of you and pull you by the hand, swiftly showing you their way to finish. In both those cases, you’re left with an incomplete feeling because there was no opportunity for you to take in your surroundings, feel what seems right for you and choose the route and speed that makes hiking the trail look possible to you.
With my process, there is no map because your path isn’t like anyone else’s. We explore the trail together, making discoveries and observations of what’s in front of us and all around us. I ask questions to keep you focused, putting one foot in front of the other on the path of your self-discovery; but I never hurry you along and push you toward a predetermined place of change.
Your First Win Is Achieving Clarity
The journey for each person starts with a discovery that you have a deep desire to “do this thing”. There’s a particular goal you want to achieve, but it hasn’t happened by reading a book or taking a course or copying what your co-worker did. It has to happen your way, with the support of a professional who gives you the space you need and respects your individual path.
Two Client Coaching Stories
One client brought a goal of creating ways to give herself time to refresh and restore in her day. She believed giving herself that time would trickle out to the rest of her life. In both her professional and personal life, she took on a leadership role; additionally, she lived with extended family members and felt like some “me time” would be helpful to her.
She created brief morning and bedtime routines that allowed her to start her day with the quiet warmth of a hot cup of tea and meditation, and finish with unwinding, easing into sleep. She noticed she began to feel more well-rounded and her confidence in letting her voice be heard improved. She concluded our sessions by stating, “I appreciated that you helped me to realize that I always had the answer, and the answer is always in me.”
The other client came to me because her career plan fell apart when her company reorganized. She felt as if everything around her had imploded. We addressed some uncomfortable observations of her reactions. Sometimes the path seemed daunting, but working together, she found a meaningful way to move forward in the midst of organizational chaos. She expressed appreciation for my leading her to her discoveries and never just taking her there. I gave her the space she needed to have her own uncovering.
Individual Goals Call For Individual Journeys
Clients come to me for unique and varying reasons – sometimes it’s a career issue, wondering how you fit into your company; sometimes a family dynamic will lead you to feel a loss of sense of self; and sometimes it is a feeling that comes when you’re inundated with multiple life events.
Putting into play what you read in a book or hear in a webinar, you may create some sort of change – but because it was not customized to what is going on in your life, that change is often fleeting and not sustainable. You cannot buy into someone’s “generalized magic formula” and expect to get the specific results that you personally need.
This is wny we begin with my Illumination Session to help you achieve deeper self awareness. Through personal assessments and a focused session with me, the Illumination Session provides you with valuable personal learning. Beyond looking in the mirror you look inside yourself. Imagine making decisions with a rooted understanding of what you need to be at your best, what is important to you and how you can capitalize on your strengths at home and in the workplace.
I’m here to answer your questions and help you get ready for the journey. Contact me to set up a Discovery Call.