What do Astigmatisms and Life Coaching have to to do with one another? Well, normally, nothing. But metaphorically speaking…
I get asked all the time what Coaching is, and to be honest it can be tough to explain. The term Life Coaching encompasses so much, from different types of Coaches, different approaches, and countless tools that could take an hour each to explain. By the time I get to describing lizard fears, thought dissolving, dream interpretation, and body compasses, people’s eyes have usually glazed over…maybe you have even stopped reading by now. If you’re still with me, bravo and thank you. 🙂
A few months ago a new way of explaining Coaching occurred to me. Instead, of solely explaining what it is, I would explain what it is like. This thought came to me after a trip to the Optometrist for the first time earlier this year. I had always believed I had pretty good vision but I had been getting headaches from looking at the computer screen so I figured I get checked out. Sitting in the exam chair with the Phoroptor up to my face (the strange piece of equipment with all the lenses), I was surprised when the doctor slid the correct lenses in front of my eyes, how crisp and bright the letters on the far wall looked. I could read the letters without the lenses before, or more like I could make educated guesses, but this was so much better! Low and behold I have a mild Astigmatism.
Once I picked up my glasses two weeks later, I was obsessed with looking at objects through and then over my new glasses…over and over again. Signs in the distance became easy to read, the lines on the roads at night became crisper, it was like everything was suddenly in high definition. Best of all, I couldn’t believe how clearly I could see individual leaves on trees! I had always figured it was normal for them to look a little blurry, being high up and far away and all, right? Geeze, I had been missing out and before getting my glasses I was none the wiser, and this got me thinking…
Eye glasses are to Astigmatisms as Life Coaching is to personal insight.
Ok, bear with me.
While going through my Coaching program and having the opportunity to get Coached as many as 3 times a week, I had no idea how much of an impact it could have on my life. Overall, I felt things were going pretty good for me, sort of like the way I previously thought of my vision. But it wasn’t until being Coached and unearthing what was lurking unacknowledged under the surface, that I was able to realized how much these ways of thinking were actually skewing my view on life, holding me back from going after what I really wanted, and being the best version of myself. The more I was Coached and Coached others, because you always learning about yourself when Coaching another person, the clearer my insight became and the more I could proactively make adjustments in my life. Over time these seeming small changes, new self knowledge, and ways of thinking began to take hold and catalyzed life changing shifts that have honestly made me a happier and more fulfilled person.
Since beginning Coaching I have also realized how many common threads there are among us and that we often share a startling number of the same self-limiting, fear based thinking, and are habitually cruel to ourselves. It has been deeply impactful to see myself in others as I Coach them, and it has allowed me to created a new lens to look at myself though. I deserve to see myself though the same lens that I do the people I work with, a lens of compassion, understanding, and kindness and so do my Coaching clients. We cannot control everything in our lives, (and if we are really honest with ourselves why would we want to?) but we can make a choice about what happens in our minds, specifically the ways we choose to speak to and perceive ourselves and our situations. Coaching overtime provides clarity, crispness and an awareness that allows for us to choose how old patterns and influences will impact where we go in the future and ultimately begins to provide freedom. Freedom from our inner bullies, freedom from fear and pain. Freedom from the walls we build to protect ourselves, and from the road blocks that prevent us from moving forward.
Unfortunately, Coaching is not quite as simple as putting on a new pair of prescription glasses but the extra effort has an equal reward. The thing is, once you put those glasses on and see what the world can look like, you can never un-know it, the same goes for the way you will see your life and yourself after Coaching. Trust me when I tell you, it’s a view worth the work to see!
If I’ve struck a cord of peaked your interest, even if you aren’t sure if Coaching is for you, or if I’m your person, feel free to send me any questions and we will set up a free consultation. During the consultation we will just talk, get a feel for one another and to see if we would make a good team!
I’m looking forward to connecting with you. For more info visit my site caitlinbosshart.com or email me at LifeCoaching@caitlinbosshart.com
Thanks for reading and indulging my metaphor!
Until next time,
Caitlin
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Caitlin Bosshart is a Life Coach in Fort Collins, Colorado and offers Coaching for clients all over the U.S. by phone.
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