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Listen to Coach Meg and Mary Beth here:
http://www.wellcoach.com/flash/cm022009_1.html
http://www.wellcoach.com/flash/cm022009_2.html
http://www.wellcoach.com/flash/cm022009_1.mp3
http://www.wellcoach.com/flash/cm022009_2.mp3
Background
I recently asked coaches in the Wellcoaches community to submit a list of ten ways in which they want to thrive in the upcoming year. The coach who submitted the most compelling ideas would win a series of coaching sessions with me to further develop their ideas and create plans for making it happen. Mary Beth won the coaching sessions and, in the first session, created a list of her top priorities as well as her wellness vision. In our second session, we began conversation around how to make her vision become a reality in her day-to-day life.
Shoulding on Herself
Mary Beth is an admitted perfectionist. She's had a history of believing that things had to be done "right" or they don't "count." This, of course, has the downside of leading to doing either nothing at all, or rarely allowing oneself to celebrate accomplishments. With the shift in thinking from what she "should" do to the ways she can "thrive" if she chooses, she feels engaged and energized. In other words, she's learning to stop "shoulding" on herself.
The Higher and Wider Interest
This new way of thinking is an example of something that psychologist Carl Jung commented on many years ago. Jung proposed that it may be best not to try to solve our problems by focusing on them and figuring them out. Instead, he suggested that when a "higher and wider interest" appears on the horizon our problems lose their urgency and fade from view. For Mary Beth, this higher and wider interest is the compelling dream to have her "outside reflect her passion for healthy living."
New Motivations
Mary Beth is easily inspired by her desire to be a role model for those she loves. And with her motivation in mind, she is no longer focused on what she is giving up, but on what she is moving to. Because of this shift, the goal setting conversation we had in this session was not about deprivation of pleasures, but about balance and steadily pacing herself toward her goals.
Next week, we'll hear from Mary Beth as she reflects on the impact of this second coaching session. Stay tuned...
