It's often hard to capture the benefits of Coaching if you have never experienced it first hand. So I thought it may be helpful to share with you a case study of one my Client, taking you through each step of Coaching.
BACKGROUND
Joe came to me as he had promised his daughter that he would make a children's book for Christmas. Few months before Christmas, he knew something had to be done as he has not began even thinking about it. Though he promised, there was something that was stopping him from working on this project.
STEP 1 DISCOVER
Through asking insightful question, Joe shared that he had loved art ever since he was a child. Yet due to “everyday life” getting in the way, he never truly explored it. He was always focused on starting a family and getting a high paying job to ensure that he is doing what the society or his family expects him to do. These real life expectations impeded him from discovering art so it evolved into an unfulfilled passion in his life. When he thought about this project, he didn’t envision that it could ever be finished.
STEP 2 CLARIFY
Through our conversations, Joe realized that he didn’t know what expectations he had for himself and for the book. It was those unclear expectations that stopped him from working on his project. He was comparing himself to established writers and illustrators, and thus found that he lacked ideas. This gave him a strong fear of failure so he avoided the project overall. He realized the fear was illogical as it was he who needed to define what failure meant and clarify his expectations.
STEP 3 CRYSTALIZE
What Joe needed to do was crystallize his vision for the project. We agreed that he should explore the realm of painting to freely express his own creativity. This made the book stepping stone for him to introduce art into his routine instead of an end to its means.
STEP 4 PLAN
After every session, we agreed on small progress on the book to get him going. After the first session, Joe decided to write the story; after the second, complete the sketching and so on. In addition to that, we agreed for him to explore art classes and to buy art equipments to ensure that there are things beyond the book that made art a part of his life.
CONCLUSION
After only 4 sessions, I saw a shift in Joe’s perspective and energy. When he first came to me he was drained of all his energy and was convinced that project would never end. Two months later, he was emitting energy and expressed profound confidence. When Christmas rolled in, he had a book ready for his daughter and even published it on amazon.com. In a short span of time, Joe’s fear of failing turned into an opportunity for learning because he had set a longer-term vision. The book became a mere step in achieving the vision. His fear was replaced by the thought that mistakes will serve as a lesson for the next project. By January 2018, Joe confirmed that he could see the path towards his dream of becoming a part-time children’s book illustrator! And we have agreed on a New Year Resolution that serves him on this path. Seeing my client evolve from somebody who completely dismissed his dream, to somebody who was now confidently walking towards it, was truly rewarding.
Check out SUCCESS STORIES to find out what Joe had to say about Mai after the Coaching sessions!