Subject: I want you to know how your words have touched someone

Message: “Hi Mark: I had a meeting today with an old client with whom I had not talked in four years. She had printed out and brought an article from one of my email newsletters–an article you wrote titled “Something Is Holding Me Back Professionally. How can a Coach Help?” Your article contained some self-coaching questions. She typed three pages of text in response to those questions. Reviewing her answers, our conversation moved from the laughter of our first meeting to tears, then back to laughter again. She has been through a very rough patch but she is on her way back and wants me to help–because of your words. Thank you from both of us. Best regards, Dave”

This was a message my friend, colleague and fellow coach David Emery Smith sent to me on LinkedIn. I wrote the article he is referring to back in early 1997. It is powerful enough to move his client, to say the least. Maybe it will prove powerful for someone else as well – you or someone you can pass it along to. Here it is again as it appeared in David’s newsletter.

Q: Something is holding me back professionally. How can a coach help?

A: The best coaching “answer” is a question. That’s the irony behind “Ask the Coach”. A good coach asks questions to help you do, be and give your best with right intention. Consider the following “self-coaching” questions. Maybe it’s time to hire a coach.

How are you driven by what might be possible? What do you really want? What risks are you avoiding? How much of your life is compared to what others expect? What truth lies in others’ perceptions? How do you know? What are you willing to learn or unlearn? If money was not an issue, to what one thing would you dedicate yourself? How would your life be different if you pursued just one important “dream deferred”? What’s stopping you? What if you don’t pursue your dreams? What is important?

Four potential ‘beings’ exist in all of us. We can be Explorers, searching with who we are for who we can become. We can be Sophisticates, fooling ourselves into believing we have all the answers. We can be Prisoners, living to the expectations of others and not our own. We can be Vacationers – anything we’re doing beats taking a risk. Listen to the questions you may be asking yourself. What could you explore today that might take you to the edge of your potential?

What is holding you back professionally? Professional coaching can make a big difference. Contact me directly, or David Emery Smith, and learn how we can help.