There are many uncertainties we face as human beings but having to deal with challenges is not one of them. While these challenges are hardly ever welcome, they do present an opportunity for us to be stretched. This stretching can result in us becoming stronger and more capable people, but only if we handle the challenges properly.
A few weeks ago I was facing not one, but many challenges. These challenges resulted in me feeling demoralised and demotivated. I became very distracted as most of my energy was focused on what was happening (or not happening) rather than on getting on with being the person I am called to be and doing the things I knew could be doing.
Without sounding arrogant, I think I am quite good at motivating myself and remaining focused in spite of adverse circumstances.
On this occasion however, my usual tricks did not seem to be working. I was very close to calling it quits and finding a place where I could hide until the storms had blown over. Sometimes you can get yourself out of a pit. Other times you need someone to pull you out. This was one of those times for me.
I had booked a session with my Executive Coach a couple of months earlier and this session was imminent. At first I considered cancelling it. I certainly didn’t want to show up at my worst. I would have preferred to impress my Coach with all that I had achieved since our last session together instead of presenting her with the despair I was feeling at that moment. After much deliberation, I decided not only to keep the appointment but to be as vulnerable as I needed to be and to bare my soul.
It wasn’t a pretty session. I cried a lot. I off loaded. I admitted where I had failed. And I faced up to the fact that I had entertained negative thoughts that were not helping me in any way. Impressing, I was not. Not by a long chalk. But by the end of those 2 hours with my Coach, I was ready to face the world again. And to conquer it. What changed?
None of my circumstances had changed. The challenges were still as real as they had been before the session. But my focus had changed. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the problems, I had dug deep inside my soul to the strength and resolve that had been there all along, albeit buried by external circumstances. It seemed like the problems got smaller while the resources I had at my disposal grew bigger. My perspective changed.
If ever there was proof of the power of one conversation to alter the course of a day, a week and ultimately a lifetime, this was it. That’s what coaching ultimately is – a focused and deliberate conversation between a competent Coach and a willing Coachee, that produces tangible results. I came away with the belief that I could and would gain the victory over the challenges I faced. I had a strategy that I could begin to utilise straight away. And I had the assurance that at least one person outside my immediate family believed in me and was rooting for me to succeed.
Now a mere 4 weeks after our meeting, I have achieved a lot of the goals I set for myself and more importantly, I am more focused and motivated than ever. I believe strongly in the power of one conversation to change a life. That’s why I have the plaque you see at the beginning of this article sitting on my shelf in my study. It reminds me why I do what I do. That’s why I am totally committed to my helping my clients achieve their highest potential and biggest dreams.
Do you need to have a conversation that could change your life? Are you stuck at a crossroad and not sure which way to turn? Do you need to re-focus or simply start dreaming again? Or set some achievable goals?
Take a step towards clarity today and contact me. You’ll be amazed at what one conversation can do.