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WHY
COACHING IS A WORTHWHILE INVESTMENT
There is
much discussion going on in the world today about coaching.
Coaching is currently ranked amongst the fastest growing
industries, particularly in the western world. The question here
might be: Why?
The answer
to that question, in a shortened and simplified response is because
coaching brings about positive and empowering change. OK, so what
does that mean? To answer that question, it needs to elaborated on,
explored in more detail. We need to explore what has happened in
the six decades since the end of World War 11. We have seen more
change, have experienced greater technological achievements, have
had more shifts in learning and education, fronted rapidly
expanding world-wide health issues, faced major changes in sexual
ideologies, recognised altered roles of males and females in the
home and the workplace, gained more knowledge of each other in all
corners of the globe with the extensive, outreaching and pervasive
tentacles of the media in all its forms, been shocked and horrified
by a number of disasters that have left wounds of a magnitude that
seem unbelievable and generally we have experienced the most
rapidly transforming period of activity on the planet, than at any
other time in the history of the world. The pace we live at is so
fast that it often seems as though, to quote a client - "where did
yesterday go?"
To many
people facing the likelihood of change and at a rate that is faster
than they are ready to accept can be confusing and challenging.
Change is always with us; the world will never fail to change and
change is absolutely necessary. At times, change can feel very
confronting. The question then arises, how do you handle change?
How well do you deal with family and relationship changes,
workplace and occupational changes, monetary changes, health and
wellbeing changes, world wide and political changes, technological
changes - in short, how well do you adjust?
How you deal
with change can be to your advantage or it can be a costly
experience, in physical, mental, emotional and spiritual terms.
Coaching assists in the process of change. Coaching is a process of
transformation, it might be a personal transformation, a business
transformation or a sporting transformation. Whatever the area of
focus for coaching, a client can be assured of this: empowerment,
development and evolvement will be the result of the commitment to
the process.
If you
choose to live a full and purposeful life today, it requires at the
very least, keeping up with change and better still, being ahead of
the change. It requires being able to utilise every available tool
that presents itself. That includes physical, mental, emotional and
spiritual tools. If the tools fail to present, it means going out
and searching for them, discovering them, grasping them, working
with them and putting them into application. It's the whole
package, the whole picture, the whole person that the coach commits
to working with you on, in order to bring about positive and
empowering results for you, as the client. The coach supports,
values, respects and challenges you, the client, in the process of
change, the process of transformation.
Coaching is
a profoundly worthwhile investment. It is an investment in who you
are as a person. Ask yourself this question: Who am I, right now?
Am I worth my own investment?
COMMITMENT
- COMES IN VARYING DEGREES OR DOES IT?
There are a
few meanings in the dictionary for the word commitment - and they
all lead to the same general idea. Commitment - the act of binding
yourself (intellectually or emotionally) to a course of action.
That’s an interesting connotation.
We make
commitments in many areas of life; relationships, jobs, businesses,
families, studying and learning, coaching, sporting activities,
health and wellbeing including dieting, and even accumulating
wealth and abundance, along with a multitude of other things. It’s
often easy to make a commitment and for many, much harder to stay
true to that commitment. How well do you carry out your
commitments? Is making a commitment easy for you? Is seeing it
through to its natural completion harder to do? How many projects
have you made a commitment to over the years and not seen that
commitment through to the end?
A
significant amount of coaching is about making the commitment to
the process of formulating and achieving positive change. Whether
you are a student of coaching or a person choosing to engage a
coach, your dedication to your ongoing learning, development and
evolvement is the place to begin the process. Until you are truly
dedicated to completing whatever it is that you are committing to,
there will be loopholes to be found, excuses to make and options to
get you away from the original project.
There are a
few questions to ask yourself when you are considering making a
commitment:
- is this
something I truly choose to do?
- will I
achieve my goals from making this commitment?
- am I fully
prepared to enter into this commitment, 100%?
- do I see
value in undertaking this commitment?
- will I
learn more about myself as a result of this commitment?
If you
answered yes to those questions, congratulations, you can be
assured you are well on your way to completing and seeing your
commitment through to the end. Commitment to completing whatever it
is you are undertaking begins with you. It is your commitment to
yourself, to who you are as a person that will keep you on track
and attaining your outcomes.
Before
taking off on a flight in a commercial aircraft, the flight
attendants instruct the passengers on what to do in an emergency.
Part of the instructions include reaching for the oxygen mask
(should the need arise) and fixing it in place on yourself first,
before you assist any other person. Why? Because your commitment to
self must come first if you are going to be able to respond with
the appropriate levels of action.
Seeing
things through to their final completion is a worthwhile goal to
keep in mind when you are making a commitment. By being who you
really want to be when starting a project, doing what you need to
do to change along the way and by having the commitment to see
projects through to their conclusion is the way to move forward in
your life and bring your goals into reality along with balance,
harmony and personal wellbeing.
Some of the
benefits of commitment and staying with it until completion
include:
Commitment
is intention brought to action and action brought to achievement.
How is your level of commitment?
VALUES-
AND HOW THEY DRIVE US TO OUR RESULTS
Are you living positive and
empowering values? Do you have times when you feel that things are
'just not right', not how you would like them to be? Are you
heading in the direction of your dreams? If not, perhaps your
values could do with some investigation.
The
interesting thing about our values is whether we are actually
living them! Do you bounce out of bed in the morning, excited and
looking forward to each new day and how you will be filling it? Or
are you less than thrilled at the prospect of “just another
day”?
Knowing what
your authentic and most deeply held values are is an awesome step
in the direction of living a fulfilling life. Once you know what
they are you will begin to get an idea of the ones that are right
for you and serving you well, the ones that are taking you in the
direction you want to go, easily, enjoyably and effortlessly.
You will also get an idea of the ones that may be limiting you and
clouding your life, the ones you are better changing or even
discarding altogether.
A great many
people are not fully aware of just what their deepest, most
underlying values are, so entering into the process of discovery
has huge benefits - that is if you really do want to live the life
of your dreams. Once you uncover your genuine values,
your genuine values - not those of other people in
your life - you can and will be eager to participate in whatever
the activities are that get your juices flowing, the activities
that create within you, feelings of empowerment and gratification;
the activities that give your life richness. Your successes will
begin to soar. As my Reiki Master once said, “your vocation will
become your vacation”.
According to
Dr Morris Massey, in The People Puzzle: Understanding Yourself
& Others (1979, Reston Publishing Company) our values begin to
develop from our earliest years; they are formed by the way we
perceive the world around us. The first stage of development is
called the Imprint Period and extends from birth to approximately 7
years of age. Next we enter into the Modelling Period, which
expands from 7 through 14 years of age. The third phase is called
the Socialisation Period and this takes us from 14 years through 21
years of age. We then begin our adult life, living the values that
have formed over this time. Sometimes these values can do with a
re-vamp, a shift, a facelift or even a change. So, how do you know
what your real values are? How do you know if it is appropriate and
in your best interest to shift or change your values? How do you
know if they are working for you? Through a series of profoundly
simple and straightforward questions, you will uncover your deepest
values and you will recognise which of them, if any, need to change
or shift. When you are ready to explore and examine your values,
embark on the Values Elicitation Process. You will be amazed at
just how positive and empowering this can be.
To inquire
about the Values Elicitation
Process,
email or call +613
9521 8147 or
+61
(o) 412 356 070
"My days of whining and complaining about others have come to an
end. Nothing is easier than fault finding."
Og Mandino
PERCEIVE
♦ BELIEVE
♦ ACT
♦ ACHIEVE | 