Tuesday 24 September 2013

The importance of Coaching.....

I was commissioned recently or should I say challenged to write an article on Coaching and why it matters in one side of A4 only.....  this is what I came up with.  Enjoy Rx



The Importance of Coaching……

You will notice by the Title of this piece that we are talking a stand that Coaching is important.
We think it is important because it helps people to grow and we were put on this planet to grow, as human beings that is part of the evolution of the human race, to grow, it’s that simple.

So, how does Coaching make you grow?
Coaching is a journey of self-awareness, it is about being more conscious of who you are, by becoming aware of your value system, that is, the things that inspire and motivate you to live a life of Vitality.  It will also make you aware of  what you stand for, the things that you want to make real in the world, your legacy, the things you are passionate about, therefore helping you to become clearer about your purpose and the direction you want to take your life in.

In addition, to helping you to see who you are and what you stand for, it will also help you understand some of the limiting beliefs that you might have about yourself and about the world and how it works.  These negative energies can have us, either going around in circles or stuck in a place of lots of brain-mind activity.  These are the places were we use lots of thinking energy and can end up taking little or no action.  We refer to these activities as Gremlins or Saboteurs.

Fundamentally, Coaching is about having you step up to be a Leader in your own life; it is about stepping away from victim-hood and into taking charge so that you can create the outcomes you want.  In my experience Coaching is a gateway into personal Leadership and it will allow you to have more impact with less effort in every aspect of your life.

Coaching is also about freeing up energy that one can waste on negative thoughts, judgements or criticisms of yourself and those around you and moving that energy into positive, life affirming ways of being, with yourself, your partner, your family and your work.

Often these days we are ‘trained’ in the art of getting things done and this is indeed very important.  However, one needs to also make sure we are paying attention to who we are being, in the doing.  You know we are Human Beings and not Human Doings!

Coaching will help you to connect with your identity more, help you to trust yourself more and therefore help you to be calmer and more confident in yourself and your abilities.  When one trusts one-self, it gives out an energy that is compelling to others.  You know what it feels like to be in the presence of someone who ‘has presence’ vs someone who does not.

By trusting yourself, understanding your value system and having a view of the purpose and direction you want to take your life in, it will give you clarity, it will help you to decide where to put your energy and how not to waste it.  When you get clear about where to put your energy, it will help you to make more powerful choices about your life and it will help you to be present to the experiences are having, as opposed to regretting the past or making things up about the future, which is what your Gremlin or Saboteur would have you do with your energy.

Coaching will also improve your emotional intelligence and help you to use your energy in more impactful ways. Emotions are just ‘energy in motion’, they are meant to move and flow, and working with a Coach will train you in ways to use your emotions in a powerful, life affirming way; for the benefit of yourself and those around you.

I believe that everyone who wants to be emotionally healthy should have a Coach, it is like hiring a personal trainer.  The bottom line is that Coaching helps you have more impact with less effort.