Burger Bites: Vision
The Burger Bites Series Is Designed To Bring You A Taste Of Coaching.
Everything that any person ever created was first created in the mind. Every invention was first seen in imagination. When any one of us makes an intentional change in our lives, we start by conceiving of a different way of doing things. The role of seeing what we want in our minds before we have it is referred to as vision in coaching.
Wise people for centuries have been discussing the role of imagination in planning. Probably no one today explains it more clearly and concisely than Stephen Covey. Covey explains that, whenever we create something, we create it twice. First we create it in imagination, and then we take the image in our head and make it real through specific steps.
People who are familiar with the Law of Attraction will recognize elements of the law in this explanation. Fans of the Law of Attraction might think this is an affirmation of their belief, but it is different in significant ways. The Law of Attraction states that thoughts become reality; that as a person focuses on an idea with strong emotional energy connected to it, he or she attracts the subject of the thought into reality.
This means that if you focus on what you think you will enjoy with anticipation, or if you focus on what you fear and long to avoid it, you are turning what you think about into your reality. People who focus on what they strongly want draw it into their lives. People who focus on what they do not want draw the very thing they want to avoid into their lives.
Both concepts start with thoughts, but they diverge in significant ways. In the Law of Attraction, the work is done by focusing the mind and emotions. In coaching, the work is done through getting a clear vision and using it as the destination. From the vision of what the client wants, the coach and client create a plan to get there. These are the small steps that lead to intermediate goals on the way to accomplishing larger long-term goals. Stephen Covey refers to this plan to get what you want as a map, a powerful analogy.
For coaching to be effective, it must start with long-term goals to accomplish. Those goals are subordinate to a long-term vision of how the client wants his or her life to be. A client might state long-term goals such as reaching a certain income level and being in a high-level position at work, but those things are usually the means to the end. The end for one client might be to have a position where she can implement her ideas and have an influence on how a business is run. The end for another client might be enough income to be able to travel the world, experience many cultures, and try lots of new things.
Since an important key to getting what you want is knowing what you want, coaching helps clients get very clear and specific about what they want. Where the Law of Attraction proclaims that powerful emotions draw what you are thinking into reality, coaching sees strong emotions as motivation that keeps you moving forward in pursuit of a new reality.
The more authentic the client’s vision is, the more powerful her motivating passions will be to fuel her through the steps of change. If she paints a vision of her future based on what she thinks she is supposed to want, her plan will be powered by the desire to fit in and impress other people. Although these are strong motivators for many decisions, they will crumble in the face of challenging obstacles. And her natural self will undermine any plans that serve this kind of counterfeit vision. Her natural self wants to express the gifts, talents, and passions that make her unique.
The natural self feels stifled when not allowed to express its uniqueness. Conforming to others’ visions stifles the natural self and incites rebellion. That can be frustrating in the short-term when we don’t understand the source of our own resistance. But in the long-term it’s a blessing that the natural self continues to fight for expression, especially when it has to fight against us.
A coach will encourage the client to dig in to his values and talents and gifts, like a gardener digging in to the soil. The coach will encourage the client to look at what he has in his soil and what kinds of things will grow best there. The coach will ask the client to consider what he needs to add to his soil to get it ready for an abundant yield. This might be more social support, more opportunity for creative experimentation, more time to learn skills that allow a talent to be expressed, and so forth.
Through coaching, the client comes to know himself more clearly and authentically. He learns what truly matters to him, what he needs to include in his life for it to be meaningful and joyful, and how he can best develop his gifts and talents. This helps him develop a clear vision of what he wants his life to look like. His vision is authentic because it is true to his nature, and it is powerful because it includes him developing the full potential of his natural abilities. That sort of vision taps into the client’s emotional energy to fuel the work of change that will bring his vision to life.
