From being a cynic to believer, my journey as a coach in the last 12 months has been nothing short of illuminating. If you’d asked me what coaching is and whether I believed I needed a coach, my answer would have been – “Hell No”
In April, I started interacting with coaches, purely by chance. I met them through networking events and started having conversations with a few. And, suddenly the next few months were a barrage of coaches coming into my life in coincidences I am yet to fathom. For master coaches to fake Instagram coaches, I met them all. But there was a spark in me that lit up in select profound conversations with the right ones – a spark I couldn’t dismiss. I pursued that curiosity, trained myself as a coach, with no clarity on whether I’d want to do this as a career.
I embarked on that path with a purely self-exploratory intention and today can’t wait to get on a call with coaching clients who were willing to trust me in their self-discovery process.
Here are a few things I believe coaching helps unravel
There’s potential beneath all our drama
I’m amazed at how resourceful each and every one of us are if we were to wriggle our way out of all the external situations and drama in our lives. Every conversation with a client has led me to realize just how much potential each of us are holding within us. If we were to peel away the layers of self-doubt, fear of failure, what others think, and all the other drama, there is pure magic waiting to unfold within us. The potential needs just a tiny window opening to show it’s presence.
We are world class liars to ourselves
Humans are amazing at rationalizing situations in their favour. This is not an attack but our underlying nature that prioritizes self preservation and survival. We tell ourselves innumerable lies to make it comfortable for us now. We cop out of facing negative emotions and resolving unfavorable circumstances because we are afraid to face our demons.
Think about it, the time you went into self-denial, delusional, or started placing blame on everyone else but you. You don’t allow a moment to consider if there is something beneath what you’re shoving under the carpet because it is scary. So we tell ourselves lies, “He/She is rude.” “The company is ungrateful.” “I am an introvert/outspoken.”
We have all the answers
But all is not lost to the limitations of our minds. Despite us telling Booker prize-winning stories to ourselves, subconsciously we register the truth. It may not be apparent at a cognizant level, but if we were to go just a little deeper within ourselves, the answers can be found.
All we need to do is disentangle ourselves from the stories we feed ourselves day in and day out and really take a hard look at ourselves – our beliefs (what we think our life ought to be), our values (what our attitude towards our life actually is), and our behavior (our actions in day-to-day life).
And, that’s the beauty of coaching. If the coach can just hold space and hold that mirror up, the resourceful person within each of us can find the answers to what we are seeking in life.
