How often do we exclaim ''this is not what I want my life to be like'' without really stopping and considering what we really mean?What is it we don't like, what did we think our life was going to be like?
Some of us can easily name what we'd like to be different and some of us aren't quite so sure; we just know we want something to be different.
Not quite knowing what we want to change or knowing we want to change a lot can be pretty overwhelming. That sense of feeling overwhelmed can stop us in our tracks, prevent us from doing anything at all and leave us where we started out but possibly even more frustrated!
There are some strategies that can be helpful when wanting to make changes in our lives and that's where life coaches/fitness coaches/business coaches can be extremely helpful in helping us to clarify what we want, how we can make changes and also to challenge our current thinking, beliefs and actions to help us to learn to do things differently.
Benjamin Franklin has been quoted as saying ''the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result''. What a wise man he was. If we want our lives, or aspects of our lives, to be different then chances are we need to do something differently.
There's no magic bullet or instant pill for changing our lives; if there was, someone would have marketed it decades ago. Instead we need to put in some time and commitment and have some guidance. The guidance is where your coach comes in.
In these coaching columns I'll be helping you to take a bit of a deeper look at your life, where you are now, what you want out of life and how to build a good, solid personal foundation so you can be the best you can be and hopefully ride the waves of life's ups and downs a little more easily.
How satisfied are you in each of the following areas in your life?The centre of the wheel = 0, no satisfaction. The outer edge = 10, fantastically satisfied!Place an X mark between 0 and 10 on each line.
Then draw a line to join up all the Xs.
How bumpy is your wheel/life at the moment? Could you easily use it as the front wheel on your bike or would you be hurled over the handlebars?Take one aspect of your wheel: what steps are you going to take to shift that mark towards being a 10? Keep it simple.
Coaching tips: Start small with an area that's not too daunting, achieve some wins and work your way up to the things that seem bigger, scarier, harder.
Keep a notebook. It's important to keep track of your coaching.
And live the life you imagine.
Jan Aitken is a Dunedin-based life coach. For more visit www.fitforlifecoaches.co.nz.
