One of the things I treasure most about being a coach is witnessing a client experience themselves in a way they had not previously. This happened to me twice this week and each time, I got a bit choked up. It knew I was observing something sacred.
At the start of each of these coaching conversations, my client couldn’t wait to say the words “You aren’t going to believe what happened!” They went on to describe a situation where they boldly stepped into a strength they did not know they possessed and it shifted everything – the outcomes they got and the way they came to see themselves. They each approached their unique circumstances very differently however. One was just so sick of playing the same old conversational game he figured, “What the heck, it can’t get any worse than this”, and used some new learnings to have a dramatically different conversation. The other had been practicing several new behaviors over a period of months in an effort to be as centered as possible when he took this courageous leap. He came out of his encounter wondering what just happened. He hardly recognized this focused, calm, clear-speaking person that was him.
My bet is that the morning after their successful encounters, as they looked at their reflection in the bathroom mirror, they still saw the same physical face they have been staring at all of their life. But they also saw greater possibilities for fulfillment and joy. Revealing a part of yourself that had previously been invisible – to you – will do that. If you know there is more inside you than what you are showing, don’t wait to share it with us. We need you.
