Monthly Archive for September, 2011

When Professional Life Coaching Principles Temporarily Disappear

Published on September 30, 2011 in Uncategorized. Closed

There is a buzz in the air. A visitor from Mars arriving in Melbourne today would be forgiven for thinking that we humans are overly fond of wearing black and white or blue and white, and that strangely we lack diversity in our fashion sense because we tend to wear very similar clothing. Yes, it’s that time of the year in Melbourne when the principles of professional life coaching disappear, and those of us passionate about our football, become a version of ourselves that has this unreasonable drive to be right, highly emotionally charged when we speak of ‘our team’ and get nervous when someone becomes ‘too confident’ about whether we’re going to win or not.

Ah yes the joys of being a football fan. In fact, a passionate fan of any sport is the same. It is in those moments in time that we become blind to our fundamental principles that we live by, and culturally it’s okay to let all reason fly out the window when you speak of this game, especially the Grand Final. It’s quite acceptable to be passionate and voice our opinion on who is the better side; whether the wet weather is going to slow our team down or give them a better advantage, and when we speak we do so as being right and any other opinion that differs, is wrong, and we passionate fans look with sympathy at an opposing team supporter because we can’t believe they can’t see how wrong they are and how right we are.

In fact, this morning when I picked up my usual morning coffee at the local shop here was Sam, one of the staff who works there, who normally chats to me about his meditation work, his inner work that he does and here he was wearing a Collingwood football jumper! Now Sam is usually quite a placid person, open and friendly to all, yet this morning here he was showing another side of himself I hadn’t seen before. When I got over the fact that he actually supported Collingwood as opposed to any other team in the AFL (I mean…Collingwood? OMG), I observed this man I know is more advanced in his spiritual awareness, turn into this passionate somewhat unreasonable human being who was voicing his opinion as if it was fact, and in conversation any opposition to his point of view was simply dismissed, because it was ‘wrong’. In fact, if he did a head spin I wouldn’t have been surprised in the moment!

So this weekend football fans, let go of your professional life coaching principles, and be okay with being a passionate one eyed unreasonable spirited fan of your team and yell as loud as you want, as your team works hard, just for you, to achieve the ultimate prize. And at the risk of alienating a few TCI team members I’m supporting Geelong to snatch the prize away from the beloved old black and white movement. While I’m not really fussed either way I just might stir up some trouble in our household because both my husband and stepson support Collingwood with single minded passion. Time for some mischief!

Have a fantastic weekend and I’d love to know who you are supporting this weekend and why. Check in with us on Facebook.

Enjoy, Kate Welk

Coaching for life, regardless of the weather…

Published on September 29, 2011 in Uncategorized. Closed

You may be aware that overnight in Melbourne we’ve had some pretty wild weather. This morning it’s settled somewhat even though it’s still raining. As I made my way into The Coaching Institute in the early hours I noticed that, despite the wet weather, there were still the usual high number of people out and about running and walking, in singles, pairs and groups, some with their dogs on leads, all there making their way along the wet paths, splashing water, even running in some pretty persistent rain. And that got me thinking…it’s kind of like coaching for life isn’t it? Regardless of the weather, regardless of the elements, if you are committed to keeping healthy you do what needs to be done to keep healthy. You’ll do what needs to be done and no change in weather is going to prevent you from doing the do.

For example, I saw a number of people wearing long running leggings, perhaps wearing a coat rather than a t-shirt, a hat, whatever it took for them to be prepared for the wet weather. And there they were, out there in the rain, doing what they always do. And why? Because they are committed to doing whatever it takes to maintain their best version of who they are being in the arena of fitness and health.

There are many of us at some point in our lives who have given ourselves elegant justification on why we don’t do something. So, when our own version of ‘wet and stormy weather’ sets in we have a choice.

We can remind ourselves that the meaning we are giving this experience will shape our results, so if we know that what we are experiencing is a sign that we are about to learn something new, to experience something that will stretch and grow us beyond anything we’ve done before and once we move through this moment, we are going to emerge from this temporary place, into a new and even better version of Being. In other words, prepare ourselves for setting out into this wilder weather and ensure that we keep moving forward, albeit we may need to dress more warmly, run on a different path, take a different route to reach our destination, run or walk a little more slowly, do a slightly different version of our usual routine, whatever it may be. At the very least we are still doing something that is moving us forward regardless of the elements that we encounter.

Or we can elegantly justify to ourselves that this ‘weather’ that has set in is too cold, too wet, too whatever and instead we retreat and distract ourselves with ‘busyness’ to avoid those tougher elements and remain safe and warm. And we can certainly justify it to ourselves.

So next time you encounter your own version of wild weather, are you going to turn the heater up more and simply rug up and stay indoors doing something else altogether? Or are you going to decide that whatever adjustments you need to make so that you are still getting your version of ‘exercise’ you will still do something? Coaching for life is about the commitment to strive for mastery, deciding to take action regardless of the weather, regardless of what lies in our path. And the rewards will come because we know that the sun will once again shine…it hasn’t let us down yet!

Enjoy your day; appreciate what you have and what you are achieving. Kate Welk

Do you have a spare moment? Check us out on Facebook. We’d love to connect regardless of the weather!

Mind Health Checks are part of your Certificate in Life Coaching

Published on September 28, 2011 in Uncategorized. Closed

Recently we’ve organised for all staff at The Coaching Institute to be offered a free health check next month as part of Government initiative to raise awareness in relation to our own physical health. And that inspired my thinking around how often we take time out to conduct our own ‘mind health check’. As you progress towards your certificate in life coaching how often do you take time out to ensure your mindset continues to operate at an optimum healthy level?

I am the first to put my hand up and admit there is room for improvement in managing a healthy mindset. I have vastly improved and certainly appreciate that managing our mindset and choosing to be responsible and accountable for how we respond to experiences is a far more healthy way to be. So I’d consider myself a Continuous Improvement Project!

I’d love to hear from you about how you manage to keep a healthy mind (and I am an advocate for how directly our mindset can impact our physical health). Check in with me on Facebook if you have some tips to share that have worked for you.

So, what are some of the signs that it’s time to conduct our own mindset health check?

Recognise those signs specific to you that you are under stress and take some action to review what you are doing, how you are doing it and what attitude you are carrying around with you, and take steps to change.

Remind yourself that life has contrasts and it’s how we choose to respond to those contrasts that makes the difference in remaining healthy (letting go) and negative (resisting).

Talk to someone about this. Your best ‘someone’ is that person who will listen, and keep you accountable and responsible for who you are choosing to be.

Spend some quiet time, even if it is 15 minutes, breathe deeply and simply sit. Or meditate if that works for you. Just taking some time out and focus on your breathing can be a way of lowering your stress.

Know that what is happening is only temporary and that you can chose to respond in an empowered way or disempowered way.

Exercise! Exercise! Exercise!

Laugh! Laugh! Laugh! Best antidote out there is a great belly laugh. And that includes learning to get over ourselves.

Time management techniques are a great way to manage each area of your life. Identifying what roles you have in your life, and what your priorities are in each of those roles that you have. One of those roles is about you, by the way. You have a role of being your own best friend so investing in you is certainly a priority, for if you are healthy and positive you have so much more you can give to others. Learn to value you. What attributes do you have already? How can you add value by applying the strengths you already have? Write down what is unique and special about you. Why not write a letter to yourself and tell yourself how special you are, and then mail it!

Learn to prioritise. That means ensuring that your goals are aligned to your values, needs, and responsibilities. Apply the Pareto Principle (80:20 rule) – Broadly speaking aim to have 20% of your efforts result in 80% of your achievements, rather than the other way around.

There are a myriad of tips and techniques out there. Look for what works for you. And as you progress through your Certificate in Life Coaching regardless of where you are at, ensure that you walk the walk. When you coach your clients in managing their mindset, ensure that you too are doing the same! And know that conducting a regular mindset health check serves a positive purpose, just as a physical one does!

Live long, healthy and prosperous. Enjoy a healthy Wednesday and stop to smell the flowers! Kate Welk

When we become a life coach, it’s more than just a business

Published on September 27, 2011 in Uncategorized. Closed

Are you okay if I indulge for today? We’ve had a moment in our household that has reminded me of just how much benefit there is with the profession you and I have chosen. When you become a life coach your purpose and positive influence can go way beyond that of just working with paying clients. There is also an abundance of personal benefits that can flow from having the skills and knowledge that we do.

So why am I so excited? Well my beautiful 17 year old stepson has just signed up for an apprenticeship as an Electrician. Now in itself this may seem quite natural on a lot of fronts, however I can tell you that only two years previously he had decided that his only option for his future was to leave school and ‘get a job’. And why? Because he thought that was all he could do, that he simply wasn’t good enough to continue school, that he wasn’t capable of going any further with his education and that his future was whatever he was able to find in terms of employment. He didn’t see just how much potential he had and he lacked any confidence in himself and what he was capable of.

As a result my husband and I sat down with him and asked him ‘if you could have anything you wanted to, what would it be?”. And the list was long and very, very exciting once he got warmed up. So, then we asked him if he wanted our support to achieve these dreams and after some lengthy discussion he said yes. And at that same time we all had an agreement that it was my stepson’s journey, not ours, and whatever he ended up choosing was his choice and his choice alone. Very empowering for him to be at peace with the belief that he was totally responsible for his own life choices, not anyone else, and that he was accountable for the results he would achieve.

Well, it was all systems go after that and we drew on all the resources we had and all the support we could find, so that we could assist him replace those limiting beliefs with something far more empowering and positive. And recently when we reflected back on that entire experience we all agreed that even if we had all known the road that we were about to travel would have many moments of challenge we would not have changed one aspect of this experience. My husband and I saw a lovely young man, whole and complete, whose life could be a world of anything he chose because of the resources he had within him.

And so, the step he has now taken to become an Electrician is only the first step for him. He also intends to run his own business in the future, and go to university so that he can build his qualifications to a level that he can travel anywhere in the world and live life on his own terms. Such a long way from that younger man who at times was quite accepting that he was at the mercy of what occurred to him, rather than being in control of it.

Who would have known that those early personal experiences helped reinforce just how far reaching my decision was to become a life coach? And furthermore as our community grows, and more of us make the decision to invest in ourselves and those we serve, we can all assist those young men and women who are in the process of deciding whether they are good enough to be, do and have anything that they want and dream of.

Bring it on I say! Enjoy your day…Kate Welk

Do you have something similar to share? I’d love to hear from you so please connect with us on Facebook and let’s celebrate how far reaching our community positively connects.

PS- my stepson also uses a modified version of a Vision Board to assist him manifest his goals. He has done this for a number of years and it works for him! Gotta love that.

When you become a life coach, don’t reinvent the wheel!

Published on September 26, 2011 in Uncategorized. Closed

How many times have you been told ‘don’t reinvent the wheel’? When someone has become a life coach through The Coaching Institute and they intend to run a business, they will be advised ‘follow this model and you’ll succeed’ yet time and again there are students that still aim to reinvent rather than just utilise what is already there. And what are the results? Well, a lot of time is spent working on something ‘new’ with all the designing, developing, testing and application that goes along with it. And for what purpose? What drives us in those moments to ignore what has already worked and start from scratch?

My contemplation was prompted by the fact that it’s football finals time and I remembered an experience quite a few years ago now, when I was working as a volunteer at a local football club. Now this talented football team worked all year long in training and applying some core principles for success. The coach instilled and insisted on disciplined training and disciplined playing. I was fortunate enough to see firsthand his pre and post football coaching style as well as during training where he constantly repeated to his players to do what it takes to get the ball, to focus on the ball and to never ever give up. To do the ‘one percenters’ that meant getting to the ball more quickly than your opponent, to give and give and give and then raise your standards one more level and give some more until the game ended. And only then did they stop, once the game had finished.

Now this coach was passionate and his passion was infectious. He would stare intently at his players as he spoke, and I recall one time when he pushed through the huddle to eye ball one player whose own focus temporarily went elsewhere. And in that moment the coach demonstrated to that player and to the rest of the team that he expected nothing less than the best from each player, at all times. And from that moment forward for the rest of the season each player would give 100% focus to the coach anytime he spoke.

And on the field they gave. They gave their all in each game and this paid off for them as they made the grand final and were favourites coming into it. This was a momentous time for this club, as they had not played nor won any grand finals for such a long time. It was evident that by using a true and tried model during the year contributed significantly to their successful achievement of being on top of the competition ladder and moving into the grand final as an ‘odds on’ favourite.

So what happened? It was a classic case of reinvention of the wheel, and ignoring what had worked previously.

Just as those who become a life coach that insist on trying something new rather than simply applying what already works, the whole game plan was changed for grand final day. I still remember walking into the rooms prior to the game and by instinct I knew we weren’t going to win. Something was different and I couldn’t pin point it at the time. It was simply something that existed in the atmosphere. I didn’t share this with anyone yet I definitely felt it. And as game time drew nearer it became more evident to me why it was different. The usual pre-game preparations that had been applied all year weren’t happening. Different players were doing new warm up routines for the first time, rather than doing what had always worked for them. And the way the coach interacted with the team was different. It was almost surreal. So many preparations hadn’t been done before and it totally changed the entire experience.

And when the team was preparing to go out on the field the placement of the support team was changed from what had worked all year and different roles were allocated for the first time. It was really quite a strange moment to be in. And it didn’t make any sense.

And in the first few minutes of the first quarter one of the players was involved in a behind the play incident and it went downhill from there. The team and most of the support staff lost total focus in that moment. Lost sight of all those things that had been drilled into them all year and all disciplined thought and action disappeared. The result? The team lost. Well and truly lost.

Now I don’t know whether they would have won had they done all those things that got them to the grand final in the first place. I believe it would have however this will never be known. What it has taught me is that improving what you already know works is the key to success. When you are on the verge of success, of reaching your ultimate goal that is the time to remain true to what already works, what is already successful. It isn’t the time to try something completely new that you’ve never tried before. It’s the time to improve what works well, to step up each moment and improve incrementally what is already known to be successful.

So as coaches when we are first learning our craft, first learning about business, make an intention to simply apply what has already worked and trust that it will work for us too. And there is certainly a lot of information around that has already worked which is readily available through The Coaching Institute.

Today, if you don’t already do so, decide to take a model of something that is known to work and then look at how you can apply it to your own business development. There are so many out there ready and willing to share their successes simply for the benefit of you and I, so that we can learn from what has worked for them and what hasn’t, and utilise that information to pay it forward for the next person.

Enjoy your Monday! Kate Welk.

If you have applied what has worked for someone else and successfully used it in your own business we’d love you to connect with us on Facebook and share your story.

The professional life coaching journey continues!

Published on September 23, 2011 in Uncategorized. Closed

You’ve got to love what we do here at The Coaching Institute. Today we welcome another group of students whose professional life coaching journey is continuing as they immerse themselves in the wonderful and intriguing world of human behaviour, as part of their Advanced Skills weekend.

I still remember my own experience in this sensational program. Human behaviour has been a fascination of mine for such a long time and it really was an incredible experience to absorb myself into the smorgasbord of the six core needs, the quadrant model, disc profiling, beliefs and values amongst other things and learning to dance with these models in a way that truly gets to the core of each person’s map of the world, in order to move them forward.

From our perspective, as The Coaching Institute team, we love welcoming our students back into their ‘home away from home’, and love to see how inspired they are as they re-connect with other students they haven’t seen for awhile, share stories with us on where they are at and how they are progressing and what’s working well for them in their own lives and business.

And it reminds us yet again what a sensational community we are in, and what a difference we can all make in any life that we touch.

I also love chatting to students face to face, as usually my main connection with them is over the telephone or email. It’s so nice that they can come in and we show them where we sit and I often say that when I next talk to them about the view I have from my corner of Student Support, they now know what window I’m looking out from and what my view looks like. (You see, I have a fabulous view of the most beautiful park across the road and being bit of a nature lover, it helps me reconnect with nature). And I know that this in some way helps the student feel even more connected with us, when we support them through their own learning journey.

Speaking of connection, I was also thinking about how we may potentially complicate connection as we move from childhood into adulthood. When you observe young children they usually connect without the need for any ‘criteria’ other than there is someone else they can talk to! As an example, late last year I had an experience where I was walking in a retail street shopping mall and this young child in a pusher was coming along in the opposite direction in the care of an adult. He had this enormous grin on his face, called out ‘hello’ to me in a cheeky voice and waved. Now this child was probably no more than 2 or 3 years old and there was no hesitation, no lack of confidence in him, it was all natural. And of course, I smiled and waved back and said hi to him and totally loved that natural experience of connection. Now that was only a moment in time yet it has remained with me as a reminder of the natural gift young children have.

Yet when we move into adulthood, through our own values, beliefs and experiences we develop our map of the world and in that map we create the meaning we want to in terms of how we communicate with ourselves and others. And we potentially lose out a lot by putting barriers in our own way, and become stuck.

So the gift for those that have already completed their Advanced Skills and those yet to do so as part of their professional life coaching journey at The Coaching Institute, is to learn how to free ourselves and our clients from our limiting beliefs around communication by learning as much as we can about Human Behaviour. Reconnecting with the simplicity of simply connecting is a powerful and loving gift for ourselves to receive and give. So let’s do that. Let go and simply connect without limits and see what happens.

“Dare to reach out your hand into the darkness, to pull another hand into the light” Norman B. Rice

Speaking of connection, I’d love to hear how you are spending your weekend and what connections you are intending to have so please share your experience on Facebook.

Happy Friday! Kate Welk

It’s more than just life coaching training, its Jingle Bells as well!

Published on September 22, 2011 in Uncategorized. Closed

Jingle Bells, jingle bells…jingle all the way…Hey all you Santa Superstars who are completing your Life Coaching Training at The Coaching Institute or involved in our community in serving the students. Did you know that we’re already gearing up for a big fat celebration at the end of the year, to welcome in Christmas? Yep, it’s getting into that time where we dust off our Santa hats and get a little more quirky…and we would love to have you celebrate with us.

I must admit when I first saw our invitations go out yesterday I took stock for a moment, a little stunned, thinking, is it getting into that time already? Wow, how this year has flown by! And then that got me reflecting on what have I done over this year? What have I truly achieved and what have I truly learned?

I know we know how to set smart goals (although whether we actually action them or not is another thing). What I’m curious about is what you use to measure and check in to see how you’re progressing, other than those goal timelines.

For me, I have a leaning towards the seasons of the year. Yes, I do set goals and have specific timelines yet for me the seasons of the year represent the opportunity for me to check in with where I’m at, regardless of what my goal timelines are.

We’re in Spring currently, and I assimilate that to my own new growth and development and what it now means to be moving towards my Summer. What that means specifically will depend on what action I take however the seasons tend to be my natural guide as I love moving into warmer weather… (Have you gathered I’m not a skier?)

I definitely don’t get into New Year’s Resolutions. I never have. It’s never made sense to me to only use that time to determine what I’m going to change. Maybe it works for some; it just doesn’t sit in my map of the world.

Christmas serves as a reminder to me that love and connection are important and it means that I get to spend time with my very large family. It’s not about getting pressies; it’s about connecting and giving and I love this time of year even more than I do New Years. In order to ensure I have the appropriate balance at that time I review my ‘wheel of life’.

So I invite you to hop onto Facebook and share with me the moments in time that inspire you to take the time to reflect on where you’re at, what you’ve learned and what you’ve achieved, and also the meaning you give your journey. I’m curious to know if I’m the only one out there undertaking their life coaching training who pauses in moments of inspiration to reflect where I’m at and where I’m going. Do you, for example, use milestones like school holidays, end of financial year or your birthday as a way of checking in with yourself? Is it at these times you also set new intentions?

And while we’re at it, what was your favourite Christmas memory from your childhood? Mine was being able to have special breakfast that we didn’t normally get to have (My Mum has always been a fabulous cook), and being able to eat heaps and run around with complete abandonment, connect with extended family, and enjoy the fantastic weather that always seemed so beautiful, sunny and simply perfect.

Oh, and don’t forget! I also invite you to lock in Thursday 8^th December into your diary, from 6pm to 9.30pm, when the house will be rockin’ as we celebrate Christmas. We’d love to have you there and celebrate another hugely successful year for our community. Details are being circulated now so let us know if you are yet to receive them.

As we move into Thursday, let’s set our intention and enjoy our day! Kate Welk

Team sports

Published on September 21, 2011 in Uncategorized. Closed

I was recalling recently how much I loved team sport when I was growing up and continued to do so for most of my adult life. I was consistently passionate about the sports I played and also watched. Being a country girl, it was netball and football on Saturdays. And I was a vigorous participant and spectator. (To those that know me well, this won’t come as a surprise!)

So, what is it about participating in sport that attracts so many of us over our lives? And what is the difference between the tendency to gravitate to team based sports as opposed to individual sports?

I’ve never asked myself that question before, so when I gave it some consideration I came up with this. I believe I have been attracted to team sport over the years because I love the spirit of like mindedness and the core purpose of the team I’m playing with. Some teams participate ‘for fun’ and the teams I was involved with were more for the desire to win as well as connect.

While I loved out playing my individual opponents I loved the purpose of contributing to the team results and loved encouraging my team mates in giving their all, and never giving up. I was very fortunate to be in teams that won grand finals quite often, and it was such a great feeling of having given all and that the results were well deserved. And in those moments I also acknowledged my opponent and gave them words of encouragement, for I also knew what it was like to give all and not get the results I was seeking. For me, the harder the challenge I had to out manoeuvre my opponent, the more rewarding the results and certainly the greater respect I had for my opposition as they did make me earn my reward! And there was also a level of respect there that I had been stretched beyond my comfort zone. Victories that didn’t come easy were far sweeter and far more appreciated than those where the opposition gave up or I had given up on myself.

Years ago I was asked to coach a netball side. This team were consistently on the bottom of the ladder. And through a team effort, and lots of training they went from being on the bottom of the ladder to grand final winners in my first season with them. It was through sheer instincts that I assisted them to believe in themselves and what they were capable of and it was magic to see their faces when they won. I only see the irony in this now as it has only taken me another 20 odd years to figure out this is what I love doing all the time! Huh, go figure…

I’d never participated in individual sports other than athletics so I can only assume that what may drive someone to prefer individual sport would be because of the opportunity to compete against themselves, hold only themselves accountable, and the only way they can stretch is to go beyond anything else they have done before.

Now, why this pondering today Kate, I hear you ask? Well, when you think about it, the core of why we participate in team or individual sports is very similar to when we take on professional life coaching and become part of that community. The core values of coaches is one of serving, of supporting, of stretching ourselves beyond anything we’ve ever been or done before, so we can serve our clients at an even higher level. And the more we work on our own mastery and business the more we can contribute and achieve the goals we’re striving for. The more we are involved the more passionate we are, the more we’re inspired and the more we model those that have achieved what we aspire to.

And our community attracts likeminded people who are passionate about what they represent, what they do and they also feel a sense of achievement when something works out. And the higher the challenge the more sweet the experience of achievement is, as is the willingness to pay it forward by encouraging others.

For those of you who have children involved in sport, give consideration to what this means to them now and in their adult life. For knowing how our participation can serve an even greater purpose later on can provide a new sense of achievement and involvement. And knowing what we can achieve when we stretch ourselves can set us up for even more opportunity as we move through life, because we never limit what is possible.

Were you ever involved in sport? If so, what inspired you to do so? I’d love to hear some experiences from you so I invite you to connect with us on Facebook today…Enjoy! Kate Welk

My day for indulgence

Published on September 20, 2011 in Uncategorized. Closed

“Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone.” -G.B. Stern. Thanks for the segue into my article of indulgence today Mr Stern. I’m sitting here this morning considering what I’m going to chat about today and I decided that it was a day to indulge in what it means to be a student of The Coaching Institute and being part of this community.

(Oh, by the way I had no dictionary handy this morning so while I’ve used the word on a number of occasions I’d never actually had to spell ‘segue’ before so it took me a while to figure it out! Just thought I’d share that).

Each morning before I start my day I acknowledge all the positive things in my life and what they mean to me. The purpose of this for me is to focus on what I want in my life rather than what I don’t want. And currently, in preparation for my NLP Practitioner training in October, I’m also listening to my CDs where the fabulous Sharon Pearson goes through the techniques we will be using and gives us fantastic examples of how they can be applied. I love listening to her own examples on how she used the techniques and her reassurance that while it seems like a lot of techniques to absorb, trust that you are learning and keep at it, practicing and applying so you improve all the time. It will happen. And not only that, we’ve also been included in an NLP Practitioner Facebook page where participants can share their own experiences in how their pre-learning is going. How cool is that?

And this morning I also received some beautiful photos from one of the students I’d been chatting to. What was amazing about this was she had remembered from a few months ago that I loved the beach/ocean, and her husband has this most beautiful fish tank so she offered to send me in some photos, which she did straight after our call. And when I looked at the photos I was blown away. Not only that she had sent them to me as promised but that she also remembered what I was particularly passionate about. I mean, how much more special can you feel than when someone remembers something that you love and sends you something even more special to remind you?

When I started my journey at TCI I was an Advanced Practitioner Student and I upgraded to Diploma because I knew that was the only way to go for me. (I then joined the TCI team some 7 months later). I’ve done a lot of study in different institutes and never, ever in my experience have I ever had the opportunity to have access to so much bonus material and support. And let’s face it…it’s not fluff. It’s specific and worthwhile applying because it comes direct from what has already been tested and applied. This community is rich. Rich with those wanting to serve, richly abundant with systems and techniques that have already been applied and now shared. Never before have I ever had such an experience as a student, anywhere. I’ve completed study at Uni, at TAFE, distance learning, classroom and I’ve also taught others. And never before have I ever been through such an enriching and rewarding journey of learning and applying.

I’m just over 12 months into my journey so I’ve a little way to go. And with how much I have stretched and grown in that time excites me because of how much more is waiting for me in the next 12 months. The diversity of characters in this community means to me that there is someone else like you and I out there! Yep, no matter how quirky we believe we are there is someone else waiting for us to connect with them, to share what we have in common, and we can serve each other and help each other grow, learn, and take action. And the more we value what we have as students here, in this community, the more we can influence each other in growth and giving. This is coaching for life to me. Not just how I stretch and grow, it is also how much I can give back to my clients and my community. Taking on the same principles that I have experienced at TCI means that what I love in terms of value I can also create and pay it forward for others.

So today I am indulging in the belief that I am very fortunate to have made the decision that I did last year and take action to change my life to what I wanted, rather than what I no longer wanted. And I’m grateful I did, because some 12 months later I am a far better individual for it.

I’d love to hear your experience from being a student at TCI. Why not share what you love about being a student here by connecting with us on Facebook. Love to hear from you.

Enjoy your Tuesday! Kate Welk

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” – John F. Kennedy

A reflection of you

Published on September 19, 2011 in Uncategorized. Closed

You’ve heard this before, haven’t you? Situations in your life are in some way a reflection of you? Any situations or connections that are positive are in some way a reflection of you as are the situations and connections that are negative. And where the result is positive for you then fantastic! It’s when the result is negative that you might want to consider how you can reflect on that to firstly establish what is it in you that you don’t like, then decide what action you are going to take to change that undesired aspect of you to something more positive.

Yep, it sounds pretty simple. Yet perhaps we still struggle with the concept that a negative experience can reflect something in us? Well, if you struggle with that concept, then start with a positive situation first.

To assist you work with this concept, and try it on, use the following type of questions to ask yourself and write down your answers:

What exactly is being reflected here?

And when I know that, then why have I attracted it in?

Now look again at this situation, only more deeply.

What characteristics can I see in this person that reflects something in me, something potentially hidden quite deep? What are the similarities?

When you become a life coach your ability to take your client through this process will assist them look at their situations from the point of view of taking responsibility for what they are attracting into their life. If we take responsibility for what we attract in then we can also take responsibility for doing something about it, which has such positive power to it.

And while it’s great to work on areas to improve, it’s also important to identify those positive aspects of you that you are attracting into your life. Appreciating what we already have is as important.

So, as you step into this week complete a reflection exercise and see what you come up with.

“Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is enlightenment” Lao Tzu

“I read and walked for miles at night along the beach, writing bad blank verse and searching endlessly for someone wonderful who would step out of the darkness and change my life. It never crossed my mind that that person could be me”. Anna Quindlen

And, I can’t let this day go by without sharing this with you as well. I was talking with a new student the other day about her goals and one of her goals was to ‘enjoy my challenges instead of feeling them’. It was great to hear how she intends to give meaning to her challenges so she can manage them in an empowered way. Isn’t it great that those we attract into our community are like minded? Loving that!

Got anything to share with us on what your intentions are for this week? Check in with us on Facebook and tell us what your focus is going to be.

Enjoy your week! Kate Welk