Why do I coach?
The greatest gift we can give ourselves is clarity on who we are and what is truly most important to us. Clarity on our own purpose gives us a decision tree that we can use to evaluate the potentiality that exists in our lives. Clarity does not come naturally because we are socialized in life to move towards what is acceptable to our circumstances, not what is most fulfilling to our unique selves. Over time the volume of our internal guidance and unique potential is muted and overtaken by the world around us.
When I developed my tremor and knew I would have to stop practicing dentistry, someone asked me, “what would you do if you could do anything?” I had no idea. I had spent my whole life focused outside of myself: on achieving what would keep me safe, what would provide for me financially, what would lead to an externally defined “successful” life. My internal voice was not guiding me toward fulfillment, instead it was telling me what I could do better, what I had screwed up, and what needed to be done. There was not even a whisper inside my head about possibility and fulfillment.
Even when we do not know where we want to be, we can have strong feelings about where we are… the discomfort with parts of your current life can be helpful. This discomfort is a warning sign that provides information about what truly matters to you. How can you take the feeling of not being fulfilled, being lost, and use it to find your path? That is the work of coaching – turning the volume up on your own internal guide!
I know for a lot of people (myself included) asking for help is hard. There is a lot of vulnerability required to reach out and even consider coaching. Coaching is an investment in yourself, coaching is about honoring your bad days in order to find better ones. The power of hard days is that they are the signs of where gaps exist between your fulfillment and your current state.
My favorite metaphor for who I am as a coach is a hiking guide. You choose the hike and your guide walks with you on the tough terrain. Some sessions of coaching are all about seeing the beauty that already surrounds you, some sessions of coaching are hard work to move through. For tough climbs, a coach walks with you, giving you tools and accountability to summit the mountain. A coach cheers you on, reminds you of your strength and helps you see the destination when you lose sight of it yourself.
Choosing to work with a coach is saying that you are ready for more, and willing to move forward on the path of your life even if there is steep terrain ahead. The view above the clouds is worth it, you are worth it.
