People often come to me seeking to change their life. They know that they want things to be different, and seek a coach to help them. The thing is, life is always changing. In every moment. We can’t stop it. What we can do is harness the flow of change, and make it work for us.
But to do this, we have to ask the right questions. And these questions must be specific.
Rather than asking ‘can I change my life’ or ‘can my life be different’ we should be asking ‘how can I change my life’ and ‘what can be different about my life?’ Getting specific allows us to set goals and take key actions towards achieving them. Setting specific, measurable targets that you can take action against and review against tangible measures (SMART goals) has been shown to be the key to achieving them.
To start making goals, we have to ask the right questions. And we have to start where we are. I ask my clients what it is about their lives that they are struggling with. Is it work, health, or family issues? Having got clear about what’s not going so well, I ask them to get specific about what they do want. Is it to get a promotion, run their first 5k, or spend more time with their kids. Then we get even more detailed. They know what they want to change, but what is in their power to change? They might not be able to give themselves a promotion, but maybe they can speak up in a monthly meeting. Or go for a walk three times a week, or leave work on time, depending on their goal.
Only by getting detailed and asking focused questions of ourselves are we able to get to the root of what we want to change, and understand how to do it. Clients then feel much more confident in their abilities to make a change. Rather than a big, amorphous and vague undertaking, changing your life becomes something that can be broken down into manageable steps.
By asking the right questions, questions that really get at the heart of what it is that we want to know, we can work out what action we can take. Ask smart questions, and change your life.
If you want to know more about how I can help you, get in touch.