To *Be a Demand* For Coaching
There are four questions I ask and answer with my clients at the start of each session. Each corresponds to one principle of ACE's coaching model and, together, they get us into the coaching mindset.
The third question asks: "Am I willing to be a demand for coaching?"
To "be a demand" for coaching means to seek it out and take it in. Think of a sponge being a demand for water—if you drop a sponge in a puddle it will absorb as much liquid as it can. Being a demand for coaching means finding whatever lesson is there for us to learn and embracing it. This question also clarifies that it is the client's responsibility to discern and learn their lessons; my job is to make that easier to do.
If we are willing to be a demand, we can be coached by anything: a traffic jam, a twisted ankle, or an unrelenting rainstorm (the header image is from camping at Hebo Lake, OR where the rain never stopped).
I'm writing this newsletter from Madison, WI as I approach my first camping trip on my journey: Badlands National Park. One of my favorite things about camping is getting to experience the way a place changes over the course of 24 hours. Chilly mornings transition into sweltering afternoons before the relief of cool evenings. As a camper, you must plan your meals, chores, and activities accordingly and prepare for unpredictable weather.
I will be camping in five national parks this summer and I am curious about what I might glean if I am being a demand for their coaching. What are the lessons I can seek out and absorb from each unique environment?
These are the five parks in order of my itinerary:
(Shout out to my brother Ben who showed me these spectacular photos.)
I'm not sure what I might take away from being coached by each of these parks but if it's worthy of sharing you'll be the first to know.
What takeaways have you gained in unexpected situations by being a demand for their coaching? What lessons await you if you are willing to be a demand for coaching in your life?