Have you ever felt that the stories that you tell yourself do not reflect the actions you do? Well, this is what happened to me 10 days ago. Continuous development is part of being an executive coach (well, I believe this applies to any profession) and learning comes from all fronts as long as you keep yourself open to it.
A group of certified coaches from Thirdspace met in the ballroom of a hotel in Central London to attend a somatic workshop. The somatic stream is one of the 6 competencies Thirdspace coaches use to assess our clients and the one I tend to say I use the least. Like most workshops, the day started with check-ins where the participants were sharing why they were there. My spill was ready with all the reasons I don’t use this competency in my practice and how much I still live in my head.
As the day went by, we spent most of the time on our feet following a routine from Aikido and working with a jo (a wooden stick used in martial arts). It was a blast and I had so much fun and even felt like a jedi as I was twirling the jo above my head as I was moving from step 4 to 5.
At the end of the day, another participant came to me and shared how much my check-in at the beginning of the session did not resonate with what he witnessed throughout the day. He felt I was a natural using my somatic intelligence as I moved about the day, so he inquired why I said I have difficulty with this competency. At that moment, I realised I still keep telling myself these stories that physical activity is not for me, or that I don’t use it. Or if I do, it is simply for a basic need. It was such an impactful reminder that how much all the work I have been doing since the pandemic on paying attention to my body has paid off and that I needed to update how I see myself.
Now it is back to you. What stories do you tell yourself that need revamping? Are you still saying you are not good at public speaking or need to be a more effective decision maker? How are you making sure you are regularly revisiting your competencies?
Stories we tell ourselves
