Sometimes individuals hear about life coaching and think that the goal setting involved in the process is around getting a new job, passing a driving test or time management, but there are other types of goals, just like the ones listed above.
Goals like the ones shown in the image above come under the categories such as boundary setting, self-worth and self-confidence. These things are known as personal growth and are one of the most popular things that my clients wish to work on, even when they don't actually say it out loud.
The thing is, it doesn't happen without raising your awareness of self.
Sounds like mumbo jumbo right? Only it isn't.
It is widely accepted that if, for whatever reason, we decide to get more active or go to the gym or follow a healthy eating regime, we are doing it because want to make physical improvements to ourselves.
What happens when we want to make improvements to our emotional self? How do we do that?
You may well have heard about others working on themselves. Be it in a film, on TV, a book, a blog or maybe even someone you know.
You may have even rolled your eyes when you heard it, but every time you go to therapy, be it counselling or coaching, that's part of what you are doing.
In other words, it is working on raising awareness of our thoughts, behaviours and actions, why they happen and, when possible, what we can choose to do about them. And the important word in that last sentence is choose.
It's learning the difference between what we want and what we need.
It's learning about what enhances our mental health and well-being and what detracts from it.
It's learning about the impact our interactions with others have on us, as well as the impact we have on other people.
It's learning different ways to manage the more unpleasant emotions. It's also about recognising those emotions, because sometimes there is more than one emotion and it isn't always the first one we experience.
The more self-aware we become, the greater the opportunities for personal growth.
The hard part about self-awareness and personal growth is that you don't always realise it's happening until it has actually happened. Until you look back at the person you were before and realised that you've changed.
You've chosen to make the changes necessary to improve certain aspects of your life whether it's your thoughts, words or actions. Be it that they are seen and felt only by you or are noticed by the people around you.
You've changed from the person who didn't know what they didn't know, to the person who now does.
You've gone from being the person who didn't really want to be a people pleaser, but continued until they found the courage to say no and now have more time for themselves. Time spent feeling less resentful.
The person who didn't know how or was too scared to set boundaries, until the day they actually did and sees the benefits now the boundaries are set.
The person who finally admitted they can't do everything on their own and asked for help, discovering that asking for help really does have its benefits and the load seems less heavy to carry.
The person who didn't realise the manner in which they came across, until they decided to use different words and actions to express themselves.
You can choose to respond differently in various situations to get a different outcome and it's knowing that you have that choice; the choice to make the changes you need to improve your emotional well-being.
There is a lot of truth in the saying 'to bring about change, you must be prepared to make changes'.
With self-awareness comes choices and opportunities that in turn can bring about changes, large and small.
Are you prepared to take the chance and see what they are?
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