Coaching Corner: Here!
By "Coach" Marilou Butcher Roth
Think back to school days when a teacher would call each name and you would respond “here.†Were you really there? Or, were you physically there but mentally thinking of other opportunities that would be available to you if you were not sitting at a desk? Well, maybe that was just my own little visit to earlier days and you did not have that experience at all, but I am guessing at least some of you share my memory!
And what about now? How are you showing up for the various responsibilities in your life? When you are on a listing appointment, are you there for the client, listening fully and asking the quality questions that allow you to be of most service to them? Or, as they are talking, are you thinking about what you will say next?
What about interactions with the other people in our lives? Are you 10 steps ahead, already knowing where you are going as soon as the conversation is over? When we do this, we rob ourselves and others of our full attention and consequently, the interaction is less than it could be.
My 90-year-old mother is currently living in an assisted care facility and is most often not able to communicate coherently with us. This was frustrating to me for quite some time until I decided to just be there with her with no expectations. When I am there, rather than trying to force conversation, I hold her hand and notice her. Being with her in that way has allowed me to appreciate even tiny things about her -- her smooth complexion, different faces that she makes and when conversation does happen it is light and easy!
This week, practice being completely “here†in each interaction, bringing a greater sense of awareness to each situation. The benefits are many!
Marilou Butcher Roth
Marilou Butcher Roth is the owner of The MBR Group, a coaching and training company working primarily with REALTORS who have a desire to work and live from a more inspired place. She is also the Broker/Owner of Group REALTORS in Cincinnati.
Marilou is a member of the Ohio REALTORS Board of Directors and past chairman of the organization’s Communications Committee.
