You’re An Expert
Did you know that you’re an expert? Really, you are! You’re an expert in YOUR LIFE.
How does that knowledge sit with you? Do you respect the expert that you are or do you still need to come to terms with your newly-realized expertise?
A core philosophy of coaching is that the client has the resources and knowledge to achieve their goals and they’re uniquely qualified to make choices about their own life. Coaches aren’t consultants - and they can only be experts in their own lives - so they won’t tell a client what to do or how to do it. Those decisions rest solely with you, the client.
From personal experience, I know that this can be a scary prospect. So many of us are conditioned to seek advice from those who have come before us or done something that we want to do. Don’t get me wrong, this can be helpful in certain situations. After all, when my athletic coach told me to do something, I did it. But outside of that scenario, other people haven’t lived our exact lives. What was best or appropriate for them may not be best or appropriate for us.
In a coaching partnership, the actions that a client undertakes are uniquely designed to support them based on their experiences, beliefs, values, preferred learning styles, the speed at which they’re comfortable moving forward, etc. The entire process is about empowering clients to increase their awareness of themselves and make informed, thoughtful decisions from a place of deeper knowledge and understanding.
Obtaining deeper awareness isn’t easy - it first requires the client to examine long-held beliefs and habits. Again, a scary prospect! But the learning that results from this journey will take a client so much further than if they’re simply told what to do. By developing new perspectives, we’re changing the way that we handle situations, make decisions, and, you guessed it, achieve our goals.
So feel EMPWRD and claim that expertise of yours!