In his book, Masterful Coaching, Robert Hargrove notes, “When most people think of learning, they don’t think in terms of having to change themselves. They tend to think of learning as … acquiring ideas, tips, techniques, and so on. Seldom does it occur to them that the problems they are facing are inseparable from who they are or the way they think and interact with other people.”
Change in life is inevitable. Problems in life come and too often stay longer than we want.
Learning changes who I am, not just what I think. This thought came to me after reading from Hargrove’s book. I paused to consider the books I had been reading. After going through the list of books I had finished over the previous six months, I realized I had acquired some knowledge, but what had I learned?
Did I have at least one takeaway from each book? What about teachings and trainings I had sat through. How had I grown? Was there any real change in my life based on what I was learning? Was learning even possible without action? Questions like these challenged my mind over the coming days.
I decided to go back to those books and choose at least one big takeaway from each book and write it in the front cover for easy access. Then I can easily look and see if there has been any change in my life based on my takeaway. If not, then I have work to do. If so, then I should be different in my thoughts, words, and actions towards others.
These takeaways allowed me to ‘self-coach’ toward changes I wanted to see in my life. Over time, I wanted more change so I could become the man I wanted to be in life and in business. There were problems I needed to address and knew I could not do it alone.
After some searching, I realized I needed a coach. It seemed odd to me at first that I, a coach, would need a coach in order to help me better coach others. Once I got through my circular logic, I hired one and this has changed everything for me.
Coaching is an ongoing intentional conversation that draws out a person's passion, desire or calling.
Change in life is inevitable. Problems in life come and too often stay longer than we want. Whether we are learning in a formal capacity or through living life, change is happening. You cannot get around it or escape it.
What are you learning through the changes in your life? What problems in your life are sticking around too long? If you want to experience the power of coaching, reach out to me. Allow me the opportunity to serve you. Let’s have a conversation and get you experiencing freedom in life.
