Moving from Awareness to Achievement

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“Coaching is about Moving a client from Awareness to Achievement” – Mel Leow, Founder of Catalyst.

When I first saw this quote it really struck a chord, DEEP inside of me, because I have been in the client’s shoe; and in some areas of my LIFE I am STILL in the client’s position either struggling or slowly moving from Awareness to Achievement.

Upon awareness we all want the achievement yesterday, yet we struggle with our action steps today and tomorrow!

In a previous post, “Giving Compassionate Feedback” I talked about how direct communication done right can put the coachee in a conducive state to look within and explore new areas/ideas/thoughts. This helps create awareness. Sometimes this awareness may come in mini awakening moments of little a-ha’s (like flickering light bulb). Sometimes this awareness can be LIFE CHANGING in creating HUGE A-HA’s (like a fully lit light bulb).

So how does a coach or a motivated communicator inspire this wonderful epiphany? Well it really is a culmination of creating the space for it, building rapport, listening, being present, asking powerful questions, inviting them to look at areas they may have overlooked in our feedback and continuing this process with the intent of awakening that awareness.

The most important thing to keep in MIND is that the client/coachee/person experiencing this process HAS the capacity and KNOWS that the solution lies WITHIN them. Our role is simply to take them through a journey that helps seperate facts from interpretations, explore their inner and outer world they have built through their beliefs and engage with their environment with a new perspective. This would mean they must be willing to explore the unknown and engage in new questions.

The same applies for any of us if we wish to do this process on ourselves, assuming we are ready to be honest and open with our answers. It takes some reading of new materials, listening to new ideas and being willing to ask new questions (which may be a little uncomfortable). It also takes the willingness to reach out for help to get coached, and we can ALL use a good coach in our lives. Even the best coaches get coached!

Before anyone can even contemplate change, the possibility for change must become available. Change here is often a journey from the known to the unknown. However, the KNOWN must first become crystal clear. That is to say, where we are now must become evident. This includes what thoughts and emotions may be holding us back from achieving what we truly desire. We might not even be clear about what we desire, and so that too may need to be clarified.

In any scientific study, the first measurement is always a baseline measure. Once this is determined, then the following measurements taken during the course of the experiment or as time passes gives the researcher a clear idea of the changes that have taken place.

Similarly, when we decide to make a definitive change in our life, it helps to take stock of our current measurements (time, quality, starting point, present situation), then consider how we can take a few achievable steps that we know we can commit to. There is no point in charting a complex plan that is going to guarantee our failure. What we want is ways to guarantee our success, and sometimes this may take a little longer, and may even come in small incremental doses till we reach our desired outcome.

Once all this clarity is gained either in a coachee/client or even ourselves, then it is more likely that there is a change in thoughts. This new way of thinking would open up a new feeling around areas previously deemed impossible. Finally, one can feel more confident to take a step in the direction; which could be a health goal, personal development goal, career goal or relationship goal.

Whatever the area – one can now start charting a course to go from where they are now – to where they would like to be at a specific point in the future. This is the Achievement end that stemmed from an Awareness.

We often get excited over our A-HA moments, those amazing epiphanies. It seems absolutely revolutionary to have such amazing realisations; however our lives don't change in anyway SIGNIFICANT way unless we take the ACTION, or in some cases stop certain actions. A-HA moments may open up a whole blind spot never seen before, but our way of thinking and speaking about it needs to BE in ALIGNMENT as well. Only then can we SHIFT in a meaningful and sustainable way to finally create a CHANGE in our life.

I too have had many A-HA moments. LIFE ALTERING epiphanies. Yet, very few went into immediate effect in my day-to-day living. Most of it took time to get internalised and even longer to be instilled as a permanent change in lifestyle.

To get to the point of ACHIEVEMENT, we must commit to it. The question is HOW committed are we to the things we wish to change within us. And even if we ARE a 100% committed as we would like to think, how do we stay on course?

Stay tuned, as this is discussed in the upcoming blog on designing actions that work!

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**Note: This blog entry is to meet Catalyst Coaching Certification program module completion of ICF Core Competency 8: Creating Awareness.

Original post link: https://coachkchitrah.wordpress.com/2019/05/27/moving-from-awareness-to-achievement/