Coming out of the egg
I've been working as an independent coach for 20 years now, yet there are still times, admittedly, when I feel as if I've just come out of the egg.
(As Christmas approaches, this is perhaps a metaphor that may not appeal to the imagination!)
Oh yeah, this might certainly cause me to feel insecure, or lead me to doubt my ability and the choices I have made. Can I be honest here? At certain times in my life and career, it actually has, and in the not so distant past even.
And, nevertheless, in spite of this discomfort, time and again I perceive the excitement and curiosity that is in me to continue searching. For what I can discover and learn.
For situations and people, so that I may once again see with the eyes of that newborn who is curious, open-minded towards what's to come and full of expectation.
The Eureka moment
For the first time in my self-employed career (and even in my life come to think of it), I am hatching all by myself. With LoopWise.
The road here has been intense, with all sorts of questions I haven't immediately had the answer for, as well as ones where I had to look for the very essence among the plethora of answers that came my way. However, Stefaan was there to be my guide and it was he who enabled me to clearly and precisely tease things out, which has helped me in no small part to understand where my strengths really lie, as well as where they do not.
It was an extraordinary experience to stand on the other side for once and even get to experience that "Eureka moment" again, because the more we spoke together, the better everything fitted in with who I am and what I do.
I am happy with what the website has ultimately become: an accurate reflection of who I am.
In the mirror
In this course on intervention science that I'm currently following, I had a coaching session with Jacqueline.
We had a chat about what drives me to adopt a certain behaviour. We eventually settled on wonder and amazement, as well as expression. Yes indeed, it all felt so familiar. I was immediately catapulted into the past with this image of myself as a child singing at the top of her voice with a pretend microphone on top of the table. I once again saw the notebooks in which I wrote my favourite poems as a teenager and even made paltry endeavours at poetic outpourings.
I confess, I still like to sing and write...
How can I (still) put this to use in the work I do now?
"To be able to put into words what you observe out of amazement and astonishment is an important tool in intervention science", said Jacqueline. And she added: "express yourself, because only then will you be playful and amazed once again.
Fledging
So here I am, with my naive, yet hopeful faith in people, their intentions and their potential, with my patchwork of knowledge and experiences, as well as the gentle heart of seniority to be my guide.
Isn't this place of acceptance where development begins? If this is the case, the future looks bright. I am looking forward to the next 20 years, and I certainly hope to meet or reconnect with you there. Till then?