Want to take back control?
Many of my coaching clients come to me because they feel that their work lives are no longer in control. They want help to take actions to help them take back some of that control.
Often we think that these sort of actions need to be life altering or substantial – but in reality, it is often the very small but consistent actions that have the most impact.
I met with a client recently who shared some of his newly implemented actions with me, and they were stunning both in their simplicity and their impact.
The lesson here – that too often we look to others to “fix” things for us. We blame how we are feeling on the situation, on the leader, on the culture etc etc. And often it is true; those are contributing factors. But almost always, there are things that we can do that can make an immediate difference. And the amazing thing is that whilst a coach can certainly help to bring these ideas to the fore, these ideas are percolating around our heads all the time. We just need the time and space to allow them to surface (and then, importantly, do something with them)!
What can you do, today, that would make a difference to your life (work or other)? What’s stopping you?
Serendipity is a wonderful thing.
Just as I was contemplating the steps this client has taken, Seth Godin’s most recent thinking lobbed into my in-box.
He says it beautifully — and I quote him in totality below.
Totally and completely out of my control
“..Gravity, for example.
I can’t do a thing about gravity. Even if I wanted to move to Jupiter or the moon for a change in gravity, it’s inconceivable that I could.
On the other hand, there are lots of things I can do to control my reaction to gravity. I can take Alexander classes or get in better shape. I can avoid situations where gravity makes me uncomfortable (the trapeze, for example). I can choose to not whine about gravity and its effects.
There are countless forces in our lives that are out of our control. That doesn’t mean we can’t do anything about how they influence our work and our life...”
