Coaching Corner: It's All About the Process
By Master Coach Marilou Butcher Roth
Any of you familiar with me know that I frequently speak and write about the idea of identifying goals, intentions, and desires. Today, I want to add another piece to this concept that I find personally intriguing. Using the word goal has never been a huge turn-on for me; I find it overused and watered down, and it typically doesn’t bring forth any excitement, at least for me. Having said all of that, I will be using it throughout today's writing for the sake of simplicity.
When we decide on a goal, I recommend you “vet” the goal internally with probing questions as to why you want this particular goal to occur. Then, keep the questions coming… what is important to you about this goal? How will it impact your life? Other lives (if applicable)? What obstacles do you see that might keep it from happening? Get curious and ask the questions, even if they seem hard. There is such value in examining the goal rather than just jumping in.
When we look closely at our “why,” we are doing so from a fully realized goal. You will undoubtedly jump into the “how” of this goal, which is a very natural action. Try to complete the questions of your “why” before you move into action. Let’s take it a step further. What if you were able to achieve personal satisfaction from the action steps even before the goal is achieved? Oh my! That’s not to say the goal will not be fulfilling to you when you arrive. What it does mean is that often we hang our “feel good” on the goal coming to fruition, and miss the juice of the process!
So, rather than putting all your eggs in the completion basket, can you pay attention to the lovely unfolding of your chosen desire? There are times during goal setting when our action steps are created as a means to an end. My invitation to you is to have those steps take a higher position in the process. What steps would generate a great feeling for you as you move towards your goal? How can you milk each step to bring as much satisfaction as possible? Perhaps, dare I say, even excitement!
And, as always, have fun with this!
