When people find out that I’m a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, I usually get some sort of justification of what they’ve eaten or when they plan to workout. That’s not where I work. It might involve those things, but that’s not where I work.
I work at the overlap of the mind, body, and the spirit which is where we find our identity and our motivation. Those are areas in which I work. I help people unravel what they want, how they want to get there, and when; and in the process, learn who they are and what works for them and what doesn’t. That may be because of past experience or narratives they’ve chosen to believe for a whole host of reasonable reasons, but in our work together, we work to get past those and set a new path for success.
And while we’re talking about success, we also redefine that. In our American dream society, success is usually nothing sort of reaching our whole goal – losing a specific number of pounds, working out a certain number of times per week, making a specific dollar amount in a job, getting rid of all debt, having lots of supportive friends or family. What’s the problem with that? Well, in and of themselves, nothing. However, if we aren’t successful until we hit that goal, then by definition, we are failures, and those thoughts are constantly in our mind which leads to a whole host of other problems.
What if, instead, we take a mindset of wondering?
“I wonder what would happen if I chose to eat a vegetable for every meal?” “I wonder what would happen if I walked for an hour two times per week?”
“I wonder what would happen if I allowed myself to play basketball after dinner instead of finishing up a few work emails?”
“I wonder what would happen if I went to bed 15 minutes earlier?”
“I wonder what would happen if I chose not to think about that negative person in my life?”
“I wonder what would happen if I really expressed my needs, wants, or desires, instead of going along with those someone else has set for me?”
Wondering is the process of coaching. Coaching is the process of implementing that wondering in real-life and observing the results. A coach is your wonder guide and walks with you the whole way, supporting and encouraging you.
It might sound all rainbows and sunshine and just ignoring the ugly. It’s not. It can be hard and raw and honest because we are looking at our humanness and what drives us, but I am sure that, on the other side, the hard work is worth it.