Another one of those great English sayings that's recently really challenged me!
I am not an old dog but I certainly am not someone who has EVER been engaging the thought even to go out for a jog or run. In fact, I have (until recently) declared anyone insane who's running around the beautiful royal park I have just outside my front door!
BUT.....challenged and feeling in a really positive mindset, I have recently joined the 'nutter's running about in the park using the 'Couch to 5k'-App. I simply went in with the door a tiny bit open, thinking I could just give it a go and see what happens! I had absolutely no concept how things would go...all I could muster was a tiny sense of curiosity and openness to the experience.
Well, I am chuffed to bits that from dragging myself forward for 60 seconds at the beginning, I am now able to 'run' for 20 uninterrupted minutes! UNBELIEVABLE!
But much more importantly, I have learned something key to engaging with things we might feel are unattainable or we are just simply too old a dog to learn that new trick:
🐌 SLOWLY does it: Just starting by opening our mind, allowing a tiny bit of a growth mindset is good enough to start!
📢 TOGETHER it's easier: I've been doing this with my daughter this summer. We both needed that cheerleader by our side, huffing and sweating together, and also celebrating those milestones together! It's easier and sweeter!
💪 We are STRONGER than we think: I was utterly surprised that my couch-potatoe-body is even able to go faster than walking, never mind for any length of time!
😍 Growing ourselves gives such JOY: the utter joy of being able to get myself fitter has been enormous! I am not sporty - yet I want to continue to live an active lifestyle where I can bring my best to everything I do. And physical fitness really impacts mental fitness!
Now, why am I writing this all? Well, because coaching is a bit like learning to run!
Like the app, as I coach I will come alongside you to help you expand your ability (fitness) in a certain area of your leadership work or in fact general life.
All you need is a tiny bit of a door open to allow yourself to discover how much more YOU can achieve, how much MORE is in you to manage your team and how much MORE you are able to focus on achieving your goals. You totally got it in you already!
🐌 SLOWLY does it: Just starting by opening our mind, allowing a tiny bit of a growth mindset is good enough to start! Have a chat with me what coaching is about! I won't bite and you can see how and why coaching could be a great experience for you.
📢 TOGETHER it's easier: ICF defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.
💪 We are STRONGER than we think: Allow yourself to challenge that saying 'You can't teach an old dog new tricks'. Just because you have been in your current post for a while and it's ticking over really well, doesn't mean you can't do more. Looking at our Olympians and Paralympians, they still tweak and fine tune, change their training regime, look at their kit, work on their psychology! They didn't stop reflecting and pushing when they won their first championship...
😍 Growing ourselves gives such JOY: Now this is what I like most about coaching! Again and again I will get the joyful feedback that a coachee has experienced a breakthrough following our conversation. It could be that they've managed to deal with a tricky team member in a much better way, handles themselves better in a board situation or have been able to make focussed progress on achieving their goals.
So, are you open to exploring what coaching could do for you?
If you're interested or just nosy how this would work, please feel free to drop me a note (ricarda@ricardabaldock.com) or book yourself a slot for a quick chat 😊
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