I'm often overwhelmed with all the things I need to do.
Off the top of my head, here's what's swirling now: organize the basement, go grocery shopping, buy my kid new dance shoes, work on my online program, write a blog post, prepare for client meeting, book a babysitter, read more, sleep more, exercise more.... AHHHH.
Have you got a list in your mind too?
Most of us want to work toward long-term goals, yet we often get sucked into the needs of the moment. While I must attend to the to-do list, I also want to invest in the future.
How do we cut through the clutter? How do we clarify our focus? How do we work toward the future when we don't even know what we want?
Most of my clients come to me with a yearning to invest in that future self. For some, there's a fogginess around what the future could be. Thinking about this on their own hasn't yielded results. While accountability is part of the decision to invest in coaching, what seems to be more attractive is the desire for a dialogue. We need someone to ask us new questions so we can come up with new possibilities. Creativity thrives in dialogue, not in a silo. Good coaching can help you clarify what that desired future looks like for you. Based on powerful, open-ended questions, a great teacher once told me, coaching helps you think the things you haven't yet thought and dream the dreams you haven't yet dreamed.
When I work with clients, my questions come up spontaneously and responsively. However, sometimes I like to share a classic question - one that is certain to get us all thinking. When I heard this one posed today in the NYT, a light bulb went off. I always know a question is good when I get an a-ha moment like that. This question was initially posed by Dan Sullivan, the founder of Strategic Coach.
To get the most out of your response, I suggest you grab a pen and paper, take yourself out for a coffee or tea and give yourself 30 minutes to consider this:
If you and I were to meet three years from today, what would you want to have happened for you, personally and professionally, in order to consider those years a success?
I'm excited to hear your answers.
If you find it difficult to answer or know your answer but fear you aren't moving toward it, let's chat.