Watching Grey's Anatomy last week, I felt sorry for Derek and Meredith. He told her he loved her but couldn't keep breathing for her (he spent an hour literally breathing for her after pulling her from the water a few weeks ago. He thinks she should have swum harder and is questioning her will to live).
So in their case, he literally has been breathing for her.
As a coach, I have to be careful not to try to breathe for my clients. Sometimes, I believe in them more than they seem to believe in themselves. But with coaching, you have to be motivated to make the changes to your life, behaviour, beliefs and so on yourself. I can support my clients but I can't do their share of the work for them.
Are there instances in your life when you know you are attempting to breathe for other people? I know a woman who, after many years of marriage, agreed to move with her husband to his homeland (he emigrated here decades ago). Rather than him making the arrangements, she's ending up talking him into his own dream! He's come around but it sounds like a very strange scenario.
List all the people you've ever wanted to breathe for:
1)
2)
3)
How can you practice taking a step back? Not abandoning anyone. But letting them know you're there for help while encouraging them to help themselves? Empowering rather than saving them...
© Eve Menezes Cunningham / http://www.applecoaching.com/ 2008.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment