CHAPTER 3
Holistic Coaching For Focus
Focus and the ability to channel attention from a place of calm confidence is one of the most challenging aspects of life in our "always on" 24/7 environment.
The endless beeps, rings, and dings of instant messages, emails, project management platforms, and social media alerts and notifications cause most people to feel like they're behind on their to-do list even before their feet hit the ground each morning.
This is a big reason why coaching for focus and flow is one of the most powerful skills a coach can have.
First thing to keep in mind - coaching for focus does not begin with the client. It begins with you, the coach.
Your inner state of focus as the coach communicates safety and trust to your clients which leads to a sense of control and focus.
In other words, if you want to coach clients for focus, you need to start by cultivating a calm, organized mind for yourself.
When you are able to connect with your client from a place of focus, you are creating the space for your client to do the same.
Focus Strategy #1: Mindfulness
One of the most well-known ways to cultivate an organized, focused mind is through mindfulness.
Mindfulness happens when you can consciously bring your mind and your attention fully to the task in front of you or to the experience you are having in the moment.
This is where you train yourself to return to the present moment again and again.
Whether you're eating breakfast, turning on your computer in the morning or scrolling through your social media, your mind is focused on where you are and what you're doing, feeling, and thinking.
Practice mindfulness every time you feel your mind wander off or start overthinking, bring it back to the present moment and focus on the now.
Focus Strategy #2:
Healthy Environment
Another simple yet powerful method to strengthen focus is by controlling your environment. Do what you can to reduce distractions and interruptions.
You could introduce a new habit of turning off your phone and other devices when you're working on a task that requires deep concentration - like writing.
If you work in a house full of kids and pets, you could lock yourself in a quiet room to reduce interruptions. If you tend to get distracted with the internet while working, you could use plugins to block all social media apps for a period of time.
These personal practices will help you bring deep focus into your coaching sessions with clients, and you will be able to then share and guide your clients along the same path, so they can successfully create a high level of focus in their life and work.
Working on Your Focus
Identify phases or areas in your life that cause you to feel overwhelmed or chaotic. Now pick ONE strategy or technique from this chapter and commit to implementing it to enhance your ability to focus.
You can choose:
- Practicing mindfulness
- Removing distractions
- Reducing interruptions
Experiment with your chosen method for 1 week before moving on to the next and the next, until you start making them habits and part of your day-by-day activities.
Journal or take notes on ideas or reflections on the results and experiences you have with each method. These valuable, in-the-moment insights will help you accelerate your client's journey as you help them cultivate a calm, focused mind.
You can also try asking yourself - and your clients - the following 5 powerful questions to gain focus, clarity, and results in your life and business.
CHAPTER 4
Holistic Coaching For Growth
The world's most powerful, transformational coaches understand that a great coach has one key purpose...
To encourage and motivate growth in their clients.
Growth is the experience that lets your clients transform on every level - emotional, mental, physical, and even spiritual.
This isn't just about doing things better, it's about getting to the root of it all... this is about tackling your client's identity and how they see themselves.
As with coaching for focus, coaching for growth begins with your own personal practice and experience...
You can become extremely skilled at coaching for growth when you are willing to explore your own growth as a coach and as a human.
As many master coaches say, "you can only take your clients as far and deep as you're willing to go yourself."
It's where you take ownership for your own improvement and development.
Start by learning to recognize symptoms of discomfort within yourself and practice becoming aware of difficult emotions as they come up.
These are usually the times when you feel stressed and overwhelmed. Maybe you're thinking, "I don't know what I'm doing, I'm terrified!"
When this happens, you're at what life coaching psychology expert Margaret Moore calls a "growth edge."
Growth edges are not fun or easy to navigate, but they are powerful and incredibly important points in your life.
Growth edges open up space for you to take a giant leap forward as a transformational coach and successful human being.
When you are standing at a growth edge, you are actually standing on the brink of an opportunity for transformation.
It's a chance to go deeper into what you need to do to rapidly grow and reach new levels of expansion.
So, the next time you experience feelings of anxiety, doubt, fear, uncertainty or any other kind of challenging emotion, practice staying in that space of discomfort and uncertainty.
Dig deeper. Ask yourself, Why am I feeling this way? Why is this happening for me? What can I learn from this situation?
The idea is to get up close and personal with the feelings that come up during a "growth edge" moment so you can learn about yourself and discover ways to shift into empowered actions that will take you out of struggle and distress.
As you keep practicing this, you will begin to understand how to lean into your growth edges to trigger lasting shifts that will expand your identity and your beliefs about yourself.
You'll realize that you're far more capable than you believed possible and you will sharpen your skills to help clients go through their own growth edges for accelerated expansions of their own.
This is where the magic happens and where the biggest shifts will happen for your clients, creating lasting, transformational results.
Identifying Your Growth Edges
Set the intention to "catch" your growth edges over the next 3 days. Whenever you face a challenge, don't overlook or ignore it. Lean into those moments of discomfort, doubt, agitation, or fear.
When you've identified a growth edge moment, ask yourself:
What wants to come through for me?
What is happening for me right now?
What is the wisdom hidden in this moment?
Journal your insights, ideas, and a-ha moments.
This exercise is a great way to get to know yourself better and give yourself the space to work through difficult moments in your life.
It's the foundational practice you need to successfully navigate your own growth edges as you begin helping your clients work through theirs.
