I am able to control only that of which I am aware of.
That of which I am unaware controls me. Awareness empowers me.
Sir John Whitmore
Awareness is our growth engine as it reveals reality to our consciousness and places it before our eyes. Only then we do know what we want, and hence, what our purpose is, what to do and how to do it to achieve it.
Facilitating and supporting our clients’s growth through their awareness is what makes the coaching powerful. This is our duty as coaches, as much as making them also own the process in which the results become the fulfilment of the process itself.
Most people are searching for freedom from something — from conditionings, responsibilities, outside control, the boss, the job, the wife, the husband, debts — because they want to get rid of some heaviness in their life, which is mainly related to something from their past (left sympathetic — Emotional, Yin, Past — fig. 3). Or they are searching for the freedom to have more time, have more impact, travel, have the job they love because they want a meaningful life and life-changing experiences (right sympathetic — Mental projections, Plans, Action, Yan, Future — fig.3).
Beyond these two levels of freedom there is another one that is not bound to any specific object, but is within us. It’s an inner state. We all have it, but we are not so aware of it. It’s like we have to conquer it through our awareness. It is the central or middle path, where we are in balance and in the present. A balance between the two side forces, emotions on the left, and intelligence on the right, that integrates them and gives the experience of that sublime state called Emotional Intelligence.
In that state, we get access to a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of what reality is and what we really want, rather than just what we declare. This will also help us to clarify where our client intends to go, what they stand for and how to raise their own standards.
Throughout this process we can also be supported by meditation; our awareness will be enhanced along with our inner connection to the state of emotional intelligence.
Coaching is definitely all about raising awareness. And, it is the increasing level of awareness that creates lasting changes in our life. Ultimately, coaching is emotional intelligence in practice.