Coaching, like life, is both an inside and outside job.
We coaches support development of the inner life because that leads to greater joy, sanity and functioning in the client’s world.
We support external actions, because all of life is a balance of the inner and outer worlds. We humans, not just coaches, act our way into good thoughts. And we think (feel, heal, meditate, pray, move) our way into good actions.
As the Buddhists say, “Before enlightenment, I chopped wood and carried water. After enlightenment I chopped wood and carried water.”
All of this came home to me again recently when I found myself caught up in an extended email exchange with a prospective client in my practice as a writing coach. She came to me with a daunting list of possible writing tasks: Pitch a TV producer! Start a blog! Write a series of how-to books! Send out press releases! Update her website! During our initial free strategy session by phone, we brainstormed and got her focused and inspired. As is my custom, I followed up with an email recapping her new goals and making recommendations for our future work together.
This article first appeared in the Fall 2013 issue of TILT Magazine ~ Therapeutic Innovations in Light of Technology.
Click here to read the entire PDF version of The Client As Teacher: Experiences of a Writing Coach article.
Gay Edelman is a writing coach who works with individuals and groups to focus and hone their written materials. She has over 25 years’ experience editing and writing for mass market magazines and most recently was on the editorial staff of Family Circle. Find more info at coachgay.com.
Access TILT Magazine archives: http://issuu.com/onlinetherapyinstitute/docs
