Coaching Groundwork Class 3

Well, it seems that Julia Stewart is just putting more free coaching courses up on the School of Coaching Mastery web site, so I’m very thrilled! One step at a time though for me. I’m still letting my learning and insights integrate and ruminate – maybe “ferment” if you will. I love the metaphor of “fermentation” – using transformation to give life-giving qualities to things!

This class was about Priming the Pump – allowing for silences and pauses within the rising energy between you and a client, so that the silence too can propel them to sharing more. It was also about Building a Scaffolding – preparing and guiding others through resources, tools, strategies, be they physical or behavioral.

I have to say – my assignments are piling up! LOL. As a web designer, I’m gravely in need of putting up a resource list or “Scaffolding” for my clients and potential clients. I also constantly need to assess and collect my own Scaffolding of resources and tools so that I can both support my clients and support my own self-development and even personal and emotional needs.

I’ll be putting up my “assignments” for this class soon, so you can read more in detail, but I just wanted to get this blog post up sooner! I need to develop a resource page too on my own web stie – http://www.holisticgeek.com/

There’s also another lesson I learned in this class, and it was something that Julia said to one of the other students (I’m paraphrasing again):

“I can’t help but notice the lightness in your voice when you talk about this past situation that was probably painful for you. That lightness can be powerful, and will most likely attract people to you.”

So, for the last three days maybe, I’ve taken this to heart in my conversations with others, and when I speak and interact with others, whether it’s a client, my partner, a friend, or even maybe someone whom I’m having a conflict. My partner started noticing right away.

“Did something change or shift with you, Scott?”

I have to admit, I’m laughing and smiling more, and other things in life that might have troubled me, and I might have shown them more outwardly, seem to be “lighter.” It really makes me wonder..

How much does our language and speech affect our emotional health – or even physical health? If we choose to be lighter in our speech and attitudes about situations or small conflict, how can that change how we navigate through these tough times?

For me, I’m finding myself not dwelling in hurt feelings or “the mud” of conflict by reminding myself of this “lightness” of voice and thought. Instead, I’ve been able to voice my needs better, and try to keep conflict more on track to positive outcomes.

I “fired” one of my clients this week, and I think that I showed a lot of restraint from going into “the story” with them and focusing on keeping the momentum going in a professional way, and offering up ways to make the new arrangement a positive one, because in the past we were both not getting our needs met with one another. And of coarse, I’m learning that even through getting my own needs met, setting good and healthy boundaries, etc, that others may or may not enjoy the boundary setting, and that their reactions are of their choosing, or perhaps a result of “living in their stories” too.

I think that the great value for me thus far with the Coaching Groundwork Class is that I’m learning tools for myself too in getting my own needs met and for maintaining and establishing healthy relationships and boundaries with clients and friends. I’m even enjoying my favorite clients and friends even more now. There’s a bit of a “shedding of old skin” that I’m going through, and Julia’s insights and principles are helping me to explore new ideas and ways of thinking.

I say Yippee!