You are what you consume
"Sometimes, Hem, Things change and they are never the same again. This looks like ones of those times. That's life! Life moves on and so should we."
This quote is from the light-hearted fable ‘Who moved my cheese’ by Spencer Johnson which cleverly challenges our assumptions about change being all bad.
Following on from our last article which highlighted how coaching tools could help us manage our thinking in times of uncertainty, we went out to our coaching network and asked them for the one piece of advice they’d give to clients trying to adapt and thrive in times of unexpected change.
We had an amazing response, which really highlights the urge from coaches to help, and that collaboration is alive and kicking! We had so many gold nuggets that we’ve decided to split it into a series of blogs for ease of reading. This is part one, which focusses on being aware of what is in, and out, of our control.
You are what you consume
Susan Taheri, Life Coach www.susantaheri.com advises caution in terms of which external information we’re paying attention to.
“Focus on the things you can personally control: there is a lot going on in the world that you cannot influence and change and worrying about all of that takes your energy away from doing what you can for yourself and your loved ones right here right now.
Related to this would be limiting the amount of news you're watching / listening to and the social media you're interacting with. It's one thing to acknowledge the reality of what's going on and keep up to date with developments and another (potentially more anxiety provoking) to be overwhelmed by it.
Personally, I watch the news once a day in the evening and spend 30 mins max on social media over the course of the day and this discipline has helped me retain a sense of control and perspective.”
Phil Wong, Executive Coach http://www.linkedin.com/in/philwongexecutivecoach, takes this further and suggests you ask yourself:
“What are you learning about yourself as this period of uncertainty unfolds and how can you use that in the future?”
As an example, Phillip intends to take some new social media habits forward when this time is over, he’s going to control the media he accesses and also is making a conscious effort to ensure any content he personally produces has a positive focus.
If this resonates with you, you might find the locus of control a useful tool to visit. We included it in our first article ‘How coaching can help you now’ and it walks you through how to record the things that are within your control, those you can influence and those that you have no control over and can therefore be let go.
If you’d like more information please feel free to contact either Susan or Phil, using the links provided. You can also be in touch with us at Fionareithcoaching@gmail.com or lauraduggalcoaching@outlook.com
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