On "becoming" ...

"Without change, something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken."
Frank Herbert

As much as it is great to achieve goals and have fabulous results I have long felt that the real gift in coaching someone is the "becoming". A goal achieved is a sign that you have applied yourself and it generally brings a sense of satisfaction (if the goal was well thought out in the first place :o). And yet, what I hear from clients and experience for myself is that the sustainability and deep gift is in who we become in order to achieve the goal.

A client who epitomises this perfectly is Sam. Sam wanted to build his business (double the profit margin actually) and he wanted to do this pretty fast. He had a baby on the way and wanted his wife to be able to give up work near the birth and be free to stay at home after the baby arrived. He had a clear and measurable goal and an amazing motivation for doing so - he wanted his child to get the best start that it could in his eyes.

Sam achieved the doubled profits pretty quickly - we identified his profit multipliers and he set to work to reduce costs, build client numbers and market himself really effectively. Inside six months he had more than doubled his profits and was chuffed with that - but here is what sam said in his testimonial .... (I have his permission to print this).

"Dear Lisa,

Thanks for the help with the profits. They are cool and Marianne has finished work and is looking forward to being a stay at home mum for a while at least. What I really want to thank you for though, are the changes in me - I feel that I am calmer, happier, more focussed, more aware of myself and others. In fact, I am confident that I will be a better dad and I know I have become a better husband for this work.

When you asked me who I would have to become to achieve this profit work, I was a bit frustrated - I am sure you remember :o) I wanted to get on with doing things differently and you slowed me down and challenged me really hard to change my circumstances from within me. I resisted but gave in! I realise now that the "slowing down" was actually the fastest, most efficient and most fulfilling way to go. Thank you for ignoring my tantrum and holding me true to my vision - of myself and my business.

Warm wishes and much thanks,

Sam"

Sam was amazing and inspirational to work with - he was so clear about who he wanted to become - and he was open (if initially a little reticent :o) - to exploring new ways of being and doing business. He played full out on who he is and what he does.

He was a fabulous example of someone who found a vibrant, energetic balance between being and doing. It was a real privilege to be a part of his transformation both personally and financially.

Exercise:

Take a goal that you don't have yet and hold it in your mind. Let your imagination roam and find a picture or a feeling of yourself already having achieved the goal.

Now, look at that version of yourself. What are their gifts and strengths? What are their qualities and how are they living their values? Write down everything that occurs to you about yourself in that future vision.

What is the biggest shift that you made in order to achieve that goal? Specifically how did you make that shift/change? Can you do that right now? If not, when will you do it? Create an action plan for "becoming" the you who has this goal licked - and take the steps. The goal will follow - and probably more quickly and with more grace.

Remember the power is in the balance between being and doing - we can access our future selves or we can work on our inner self but until we take action it is only a daydream :o) Action is the multiplier that creates that amazing version of you - that helps you to "become" the person who has your goals.

 

Back
to Articles page

 

Home I Personal I Business I For Coaches I About I Resources I Contact I Events I Press Room