As a wellness coach, you\u2019ll probably be presented, by one of your existing or potential coaching clients, with a picture of a supermodel which is accompanied by: \u201cI need to look like this in two weeks because I\u2019m going to a tropical island. Can you help me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Although you\u2019d love to help her or her, all your training in wellness, nutrition and fitness will be screaming at you that this goal is not achievable in the short space of time that you\u2019ve been given. It is achievable but you\u2019ll need a bit more time to help make this happen. So how do you get out of a situation like this? Well, when assessing your coaching clients’ goals make sure that they are S.M.A.R.T.<\/p>\n
In order for goals to be achievable, they must be specific. So, to take the example of the coaching client who wants to look like a supermodel ASAP, try and get specifics about what she or he\u00a0likes about the particular supermodel\u2019s body. Do they\u00a0like the fact that the model has rock-hard abs? Or do they admire the model\u2019s super-sculpted shoulders? Once you know this, you\u2019ll be better able to advise your client if her timeframe is realistic.<\/p>\n
You need to be able to know how much time it will take to accomplish your coaching client’s\u00a0goals. The most important thing is that you\u2019re realistic. So, the client mentioned above\u2019s goals of looking like a supermodel might be unrealistic as they are not measurable given the timeframe that you\u2019ve been given. In the words of Duncan Haughey<\/a>, you need to know if your goals are obtainable and you also need to know when you’ve achieved your goal.<\/p>\n In other words, your goal must be realistic. So, if you want to lose weight \u2013 but you\u2019re, for example, a well-endowed lady – don\u2019t use Kate Moss as your role model for an ideal goal weight. You\u2019ll never be able to attain this goal unless you resort to surgery or extremely unhealthy eating practices, such as starvation.<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t want to look like a supermodel, but you still want to lose weight and be healthy, that\u2019s OK!\u00a0This goal\u00a0might be relevant to someone \u2013 but not to you. Also if you don\u2019t feel that your goals are personally relevant, you won\u2019t have the mental drive to achieve them. As Viktor Frankl <\/a>said:<\/p>\n \u201cWhat a man actually needs is not a tensionless state, but rather the striving and struggling for some goal worthy of him.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n If you say to yourself that you\u2019re going to lose weight \u2018one day\u2019, you\u2019ll never do it as you won\u2019t be putting yourself under pressure. You won’t be\u00a0pushing yourself to achieve what you want to. If you say to yourself that you\u2019re going to start on a healthy eating plan on such and such a date, you\u2019ll feel motivated and ready to start.<\/p>\n Draw a circle and divide it into\u00a0seven pieces.<\/p>\n Label each section of the pie using the following labels:<\/p>\n –\u00a0Business and career Ask your client to give themselves a 1 \u2013 10 rating in each of these categories, with 1 being dissatisfied and 10 being extremely happy.<\/p>\n Put a dot in each of the pieces that corresponds to the rating that the client gives themselves. (A 1 will be close to the centre with a ten being almost at the outside of the circle.)<\/p>\n Join the dots to show your client if their lives are a \u2018wonky\u2019 circle and which areas they need to work on.<\/p>\n The G.R.O.W model consists of a number of questions that you need to ask your client to help them start to think positively and begin to realise their goals.<\/p>\n G.R.O.W stands for:<\/p>\nGoals need to be attainable<\/h2>\n
Your goals must be relevant to what you want to achieve<\/h2>\n
Goals must have a set start and end time<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Our favourite life coaching tools<\/h2>\n
The Wheel of Life<\/h3>\n
Step 1<\/h4>\n
Step 2<\/h4>\n
\n–\u00a0Finances
\n–\u00a0Health
\n–\u00a0Family and friends
\n–\u00a0Romance
\n–\u00a0Fun and recreation
\n–\u00a0Physical environment<\/p>\nStep 3<\/h4>\n
Step 4<\/h4>\n
Step 5<\/h4>\n
4 Steps to using the G.R.O.W. model<\/h3>\n
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