When you meet and greet a new client for the first time, are you doing so as a Coach/Trainer making an extra effort to be welcoming, approachable and giving the impression your glad to be part of this clients lifestyle change? Are you making certain your client is thinking they made the right decision in choosing you to help them achieve their fitness goals? Are you making that first impression golden? As Coaches and Trainers we tend to be very social and enjoy helping people attain their goals and to reach their full fitness potential. This is our passion! However, has there ever a time when maybe a new client is not getting the best of what we have to offer due to a preconceived notion or because of the client’s appearance? Have you ever had a client that you just did not want to work with or feel you cannot work with? Are you just having a bad day? This most certainly can happen in our line of work and in our daily lives as well. There may be a time when there is a personality conflict and the working relationship isn’t cohesive. I will always give these relationships a little time as first impressions can sometimes be deceiving and there are times that the client is genuinely nervous about making a fitness commitment. I evaluate what I’m feeling from the client, how I feel when working with the client and how we work as a team. If the professional relationship really isn’t benefiting the client, then I feel that ethically I must step back. I will handle this situation in a professional manner with a very kind, to the point explanation as to why I feel the working relationship isn’t the best for the client and provide the client with a referral to another Coach/Trainer that I feel their expectations are more in line with. This client should never be made to feel that they are unwanted but rather made to feel that you have a better solution for them to attain their goals and their success is important to you. When discussing a situation such as this with your fellow Coaches make certain it’s in a private and secure area. Do not risk the client overhearing this discussion or worse have it repeated by someone who doesn’t know the entire situation but overhears and repeats the conversation. We never want our clients to feel hurt or dehumanized by our words or actions. [Read more…]
Beliefs and Opinions vs. Facts and Evidence: A Coaching Perspective and Solution
The statement used to be “seeing is believing.” Now we know that with photo shop and the digital age – this is no longer accurate, as images can so easily be manipulated. Even an eye witness account is suspect because of incoming filters, expectations, deleting, distorting, and generalizing information, and personal meaning that is attached to an action or event.
What has always been true is that when the brain creates a belief or opinion – this becomes a filter of reality for that brain. When someone has a belief (which is their opinion), it will “feel” true for them, based upon their projection of this reality onto an action or event. (“Don’t confuse me with the facts; my mind is made up!”) [Read more…]
Living Your Best Life: How to Ensure You Find Your Bliss
Many people tend to believe that, “The grass is greener on the other side”, and they never seem to notice how “green” their grass is until, they no longer have it due to their aspirations of being on the “other side”. There are also those people who are always viewing what the “Joneses” are doing and try to keep up, however never quite get there. This mentality exists in almost every family, even mine. My youngest son was never happy with what he had in front of him, he was always asking why he couldn’t have something different. He viewed everything else better than what he had even if the only difference was having a stripe or not having a stripe. It was only when his friends enjoyed what he had that he wanted it.This mentality for me was quite frustrating.
For years, I would come across these people and wonder why were they so focused on which they didn’t have. The time I took trying to figure out why they could not be content with loving where they were and or appreciating the process of where they were at, made me realize that I too struggled with their same dilemma. I was so focused on why they were always looking across the street, that I didn’t realize I was judging them on their street. Instead, I should have been on my street minding my own business and making sure I was content.
Living your best life, is all about living and focusing on your life/daily experiences as it pertains to you! You can not focus on you if you are worried about others. Worrying about others, prevents you from focusing on your well being. As a Holistic Life Coach, I often notice when individuals tell me that they just want to live their best life and don’t know how to start. Then they start to tell me about what someone else needs to do in their lives to become a better person. No one, I repeat no one, can tell you what to do to be better, although one may help to guide you in your personal process.
The only person that may control and delegate your personal process is you. You are in the pilot seat and the master of your destiny. It is you who knows what you will and wont do. Therefore you must take the time out to get to know who you are. Once someone knows and understands who they are, they are better equipped to make proper decisions for themselves. Each decision looks different depending on who you speak to. However the results are the same, if you are following your heart and living your dream, then you are in the midst of living your best life!
Nashima Harvey, Ed.M is a Mother, Holistic Life Coach, Educational Consultant, Blogger and CEO at THE LITTLE GREEN HOUSE. An educator for over 12 years, Nashima spends her professional time working with individuals and families that need guidance on living their best lives.
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