Signs that signal it's time to call a coach
By Ruth Simone
We hear a lot about coaching, but readers
often ask what it is and how it can enrich
their careers and lives. In preparing for this
issue, we learned that some corporations even
incorporate coaching into employee benefits
packages. So we invited local expert Ruth
Simone to tell us about this growing practice
area and explain some of the signs it may be
time to consider working with a coach.
What in your life are you trying to make
work or get completed? Perhaps it’s that
image of getting promoted to a highly
sought after leadership position? Taking
your small business to the next level? Maybe you’re looking for that special
someone, or yearning for a supportive
family and the next tier lifestyle? If you’ve
had thoughts of giving up — wait! There
is hope.
Paradoxically — hope greets us at the
precise moment when we become truly
curious about what is going on within
ourselves and in the world around us.
It can be a joyful time of “waking up” to
the real life that we’re living and leave the
one behind that we’ve been stuck in or
are skipping over to engage with in our
automatic patterns. Contrary to what we
often hear — hope also happens when
we face our most fearful moments, the
ones as we catch a glimpse of in the foggy
mirror. This amazing moment unveils
for us the needed awareness to see life’s
opportunities that have been there all
along.
Do you find yourself working more
and more hours while juggling endless
tasks, or rushing to meet deadlines and
say “there just is never enough time”? Is
it possible that your exceptional multi-tasking is doing you in? When is it ok to
say, “No”?
As women, our tendency to be agreeable,
nice, compliant, or to please others often
takes a toll on us and our family. We end
up being overscheduled, overworked,
underappreciated, underpaid, frazzled,
exhausted and frustrated. When that
happens, life is no fun.
Believe it or not — each of these signal its
time to move in the opposite direction.
When we turn ourselves around and
pick up the magnifying lens, it allows
us to see ourselves from new angles and
dimensions — we can begin to integrate
play into our work. We can become even
more productive, in less time, and enjoy
working with ease and balance.
Do you experience that feeling of dread
when you think about interacting with particular people, using technology,
dealing with financial challenges or
listening to your intuition that feels more
like another betrayal?
Does it seem like an impossible dream
for every moment to hold the potential to
nurture and support us? When we step
out of these patterns — we begin to fully
participate in real life.
If you’re dreaming or creatively designing
strategies to exit difficult environments
— this might be a smart move.
But more often — the better solution
is to see the value of developing a
strong support group. Why? The same
people who can encourage us to muster
our courage to face adversity can also
strengthen our confidence to face real life
challenges — and gain peace of mind.
Have you noticed that when we hide
rather than stand up to face our difficulties
we run into the danger of taking the path
of least resistance — when other more
harmful consequences occur?
Yes, some people and situations can
challenge the essence of our self image,
and we become convinced that the best
solution is to skirt the situation. Unless
the situation is truly dangerous — these
moments present opportunities to learn
the most. By adopting a passion for
learning from everything and everyone in
life — our patience leads us to knowledge,
wisdom and mastery.
Are you expecting others to care more, and
somehow they don’t? When we cannot get the love we need
from others — it’s usually a sign that we
don’t love ourselves enough. How could
that be?
When we learn to stand up for what’s
important in our lives — we replace
our hints, blame, and masked demands. Particularly as women — we’ve been
taught to love others more than ourselves.
But, today’s powerful women respect both
themselves and others when they make
powerful and empowering requests to get
the results they need.
Do you find yourself longing to move into
a life, career or a business that inspires and
motivates you? Is it a life of giving back in
ways that are fulfilling, with joyful people
and abundant resources?
Too often we believe that having it all takes
time to accomplish by first getting the
obstacles out of the way. But, it’s when our
dreams are turned into crystal clear beliefs
and action plans that we focus our best
energy on what we really want in life. Yes,
dreams can happen sooner than you can
imagine.
This reminds me of my favorite quote from
Antoine De Saint-Exupery: “Reminding
one another of the dream that each of us
aspires to may be enough for us to set each
other free.”
A coach can be a great resource to
explore these signs and determine how to overcome these obstacles. Has there ever
been a better time to get started?
Learn More
Here are some of my favorite books to
learn more about this subject:
• Creativity and What we Ache For, by Oriah
Mountain Dreamer
• Feelings Buried Alive Never Die, by Karol K. Truman
• 10 Poems to Change Your Life, by Roger
Housden
• Getting Our Bodies Back, by Christine Caldwell
On the Internet:
www.debbieford.com
www.soulofmoney.org
www.soundstrue.com
www.whatsyourmotto.com
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As seen in the
Spring 2007 issue of PBWC Connections
more from this issue download the issue |
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