One of the unexpected gifts of becoming a coach has been being coached.
As many of you know, I’m currently working toward my coaching certification through iPEC. As part of that journey, I’ve been bartering coaching sessions with other coaches in my program. The result? I have the privilege of being coached several times a week.
Over the past several months, I’ve learned a lot about myself. One insight, in particular, has shifted the way I think about motivation.
I had been wondering why I felt so stuck. Why wasn’t I putting myself out there more? Why wasn’t I networking or promoting my coaching business? And why have things like going to the gym or meal planning always been so much harder for me to prioritize?
During one coaching session, my coach asked me a simple question:
“Other than the paycheck, what motivates you to do your job?”
I barely had to think about it.
“It helps other people.”
Everything I do at work is part of a bigger puzzle. It supports my colleagues and ultimately helps students. Knowing that my work contributes to something bigger than myself is what motivates me.
Then it clicked.
The things I’d been struggling to prioritize—networking, building my coaching business, exercising, meal planning—I had been viewing as things that only benefited me. My brain wasn’t connecting them to helping others.
That was my “aha” moment.
I realized that taking care of myself isn’t separate from helping others. When I invest in my health, my energy, and building a coaching practice that fulfills me, I show up as a better leader, coach, colleague, partner, and friend. Helping myself allows me to help others more effectively.
It’s amazing how one thoughtful question can uncover a belief you didn’t even know you had. Now I am working through that belief to get better results!
I’m grateful to my coach for asking the right question. Sometimes we don’t need someone to give us the answers—we need someone to help us discover the answers that were already there.
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