3 October 2021 (retrograde post)
Coaching is a tool to make tangible steps for actions. In a peer-coaching session on Friday, I discovered myself having a subtle resistance to the words like “plan” and “schedule” and negative connotations about “structure”. As soon as I heard these words, I felt constrained and limited. When I imagined a schedule book full of plans, I even felt trapped! This is fatal as a coach because the coach needs to usher the client to take action by asking “When will you put your idea into action?”
My coach and I explored where this negativity came from. (As I have my Sun in Sagittarius,) I value flexibility and spontaneity. I don’t feel comfortable if something is set in stone. To me, scheduling or structuring sounds like the embodiment of something rigid regardless of whether it can be modified. I don’t get motivated by these words, rather disempowered by their connotations. Simultaneously, I know that structure and planning are indispensable in aiming for something and taking action. Today, I acknowledged that these conflicting thoughts have been always with me and, at times, hindering me from simple planning of mundane matters!
What’s wrong with scheduling and planning? Why do I feel restricted? In my imagination, these words bring me the image of a Mon-Sun grid spreadsheet (both digital or non-digital). Unconsciously, I was disgusted by this image because I perceived my “organic” life was squeezed into this “non-organic” tight grid.
“What about the words “the way” or “the path”?, my coach asked. Hearing these words, my inner vision instantly expanded and a small winding path in a forest appeared in my imagination! “YES! I like these words! That is more like my everyday life!” Now, I see my schedule doesn’t need to look like a spreadsheet but can be a small path in the forest. My plans can be something I expect to encounter on the path, like trees, a river, a bridge, etc…to reach a certain destination! 🙂
What seems useful for others may not be useful for us. Understanding our own needs may feel like slow steps in the short run, but it will save us from unnecessary stress in the long run.
#coaching #structure #planning #thepath #scheduling #achievegoals
Pic by me 🙂