This article will help you better understand what coaching is. It will also help illustrate why some people are stagnating whereas others are succeeding in life.
The Image
Maslow’s pyramid is a good way to explain and demystify coaching through a single image.
Simply put, it illustrates the five basic needs of all human beings. Just take a look and I will explain below:
Although this picture already states a lot, here are some additional explanations.
All human beings:
- have basic needs (first 4 levels of the pyramid);
- have a desire to evolve (top of the pyramid) , consciously or unconsciously, after they have met most of their basic needs;
- face difficulties in life, and;
- are either succeeding in life, or are finding it difficult and are stagnating.
Depending on your ability to cope and solve problems, you may spend more or less time at the top of the pyramid, a place where you can thrive and create your life as you wish.
For those who are struggling, here’s the good news: you are NOT the problem.
The problem is that you haven’t been equipped with the tools required to solve life’s problems, because they are not taught in school.
Living in the past = Stagnation
People who live in the past often have a negative attitude. They employ “limiting language”, as shown in the image above.
- They don’t learn from the past and therefore repeat the same mistakes.
- They have a victim mentality.
- They don’t act to improve their lives because they think positive change is impossible and the world is set in its ways.
The good news is that this attitude can be changed.
Living in the Present and having a vision of the future = Success
People who succeed in life learn from the past and become stronger as a result. They also create a vision for their future.
- They use the language of possibility.
- They take action to improve their life.
- They know they are evolving even as the world is evolving.
People who live in the past focus on problems, whereas people who live in the present and have vision for the future focus on solutions and opportunities.
Therapy
Some people experience a lot difficulty meeting their basic needs needs as shown in the first four levels of the pyramid. If you feel persistently depressed or sad, or if you have just gone through a tragedy which prevents you from functioning normally—such as a broken relationship or the loss of a loved one—then therapy is the solution.
Coaching
Coaching helps solve the life problems that prevent you from focusing on your self-fulfillment.
In essence, coaching is:
- a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires you to define and reach both your personal and professional goals much more quickly and easily than without a coach;
- a partnership that focuses on taking action to achieve your vision, goals, and desires, and;
- the discovery of your true self, which increases your level of perception and responsibility.
In short, therapy helps those who are going through great emotional diffculties to return to a balanced life. Meanwhile, coaching helps emotionally stable people reach extraordinary heights and develop their full potential in all aspects of their lives.
This article has showed you that successful people perceive the world differently. They see opportunities and solutions where others only see problems. You also learned that coaching can help you become more successful by helping you solve your current problems while simultaneously enabling you to plan and build your future.
In a future article , I will discuss the tools you need to cope with life’s problems .
Do not hesitate to contact me for more information or for a free coaching session.