Move towards your goals:
Did you know we all have an innate desire to strive and improve.
‘Striving’ and ‘improving’ means different things to different people but it’s there in every one of us.
Executive Coaching, Leadership Coaching, Development Coaching..it’s all about working with the person and their thoughts. We all lead ourselves. Our thoughts and actions inform that, so how would it serve you to get your thoughts in order, generate new thoughts, ideas and opportunities and lead yourself, consciously, towards what you want to achieve?
Maybe you have loads on your mind? It might be in your professional life, your personal life or both. Plans, things you want to get done, changes you want to make, actions to complete?
Perhaps you crave time to stop and think? To sit with someone and work through things. Get your thoughts in order. To plan and then see things through to a result.
Maybe you’ve considered having a coach but it’s not the right time.
Well, good news……….you can learn to coach yourself.
You can develop the habit. You have the power to influence how your brain works. With time, repetition and practice our brains adapt.
Self directed neuroplasticity is when you intentionally rewire your brain to create positive habits. This can be done primarily through active reflection and it’s something everyone can do.
It’s a powerful, science-based method to create new, healthy habits.
Read more about self-directed neuroplasticity here: What is Self-Directed Neuroplasticity? | re-origin
So, there’s the first bit of good news…you have the technology onboard to do it! Second bit of good news, you have complete influence over it happening.
The perfect start.
Let’s get to it.
How do I do it?
In this blog I’m going to share what you can do to coach yourself in five steps. Steps that you can come back to each time until they are habit forming:
- Mindset and motivation
- Ask yourself better questions ( and listen to your answers)
- Sift and prioritize
- Be consciously accountable
- Stay on track
I’m going to share how to give yourself the best chance of developing the habit and how to sustain it.
I’m going to share habits that you can cultivate and use anywhere and anytime. How to call on your best thinking whenever you need it.
Imagine a person that’s always championing you, always interested in what you’re doing and keen to listen to your thoughts and plans.
Imagine that person doesn’t jump in with their experience, they don’t give their advice and they don’t tell you what to do.
We all value those that listen and support. Those who genuinely want to champion and lift us up. Those that always celebrate our achievements and encourage us to keep going.
Well……..add ‘you’ to the list of people that do that. That person sits within you and you’re going to surface them. You have access to your best self whenever you want to.
So let’s see how……..let’s get coaching
Step 1: Mindset and Motivation – once you’ve done this you’re half way there.
Give yourself the best chance of success.
- Step away from the day to day.
Give yourself the gift of time and a quiet space to think and reflect. Create time on your own, away from others. If an hour feels too long, allocate 20 mins to start with. However much time we allocate we often spend longer as we get ‘into it’. Although it’s amazing what you can achieve in 20 minutes of thinking time.
- Value the time. View it as productive time.
Whether it’s professional or personal thoughts you want to process, they impact on each other and will help you be your best self in both areas. You will move towards what you want quicker. Plus, think how much time and energy you’ll save not worrying or feeling frustrated about not getting those things done.
- Think about how you’ll feel once you’ve made progress on your challenge.
Imagine knowing that you are actively working through your plans. That you got stuck into it and feel really productive. Imagine how rewarding that will feel, knowing that you’re doing your best for yourself.
Make it a habit. Make it part of your routine, weekly, fortnightly, monthly, whatever feels right for you. You never regret time out to think and reflect.
Step 2: Ask yourself better questions (and listen to your answers)
Ask yourself questions that bring out your best, challenge yourself and notice the language you use with yourself.
Sit with a pen and paper or without, and think. Ask yourself.
- What would be the best way of using this time?
- What is it that led me to wanting to create this time to coach myself?
- What do I want to get out of coaching myself?
- If I had a coach here asking me what I would like to work on, what would it be?
- What’s missing for me at the moment?
Alternatively let your mind wander and see what it comes up with. You know what’s on your mind and what you want to get done.
Notice what your telling yourself and make a note of what feels important.
You’ll come up with all sorts of things.
Step 3: Sift and Prioritize
Don’t get stuck in the weeds of each answer. Ask yourself:
- What themes do I notice developing?
- What feels important?
- What would be my priorities?
- How would I rate the priorities?
- Am I happy with my top three, do they feel like the right ones?
Step 4: Be Consciously Accountable
Now you’ve got all the insights, you can move into action….this is where you make the next big shift….doing what you know you should do.
Ask yourself:
- What one thing do I know I need to do to make an impact on priority 1?
- Same question for priority 2 and 3?
- What do I know I can do to give myself the best chance of doing that thing/those things?
- What exactly do I need to do?
- What potential barriers might I have/have I had previously?
- What do I need to be prepare for, to avoid these barriers.
- When will I start doing these actions?
- How will I keep checking in on my progress?
- How will I keep myself on track?
Step 5: Stay on track
- When will I be coaching myself again.
- How would it serve me to get it allocated in my diary
- How motivated do I feel to do it again?
- Is there any interference with my motivation..what is it?
- How much to I want to move forward with my goals?
These questions provide an example of hundreds of questions you could ask. You could use these questions every time or progress to asking your own.
Remember that habits take up to three months to form, so be persistent. Stick at it. Put energy into it and it will happen. You will know after you’ve done it how good it feels. You will notice that your progressing towards your goals. Remember that feeling and use it to motivate yourself to develop the habit.
Feel free to contact me with any questions or queries.
Happy Self Coaching !