Coaching Tip: Forgotten Dreams
Category: Coaching Secrets (CS143)Originally Submitted on 7/11/99.
Introduction
When clients have difficulty in verbalizing what they want from life, what their goals are, it is sometimes helpful to take them back to childhood.
The Coaching Tip
Sometimes the dreams we had as children have been so thoroughly discarded as impractical or not acceptable that we have entirely forgotten about them. When this happens, an individual may give the impression of being all at sea when it comes to goals. There just don't seem to be any. The future is a blank. This can be frustrating for a coach who is trying to discover how best to coach someone, and is even more frustrating for the client.It sometimes helps to have the client go way, way back to find the dreams that have been forgotten. So, instead of what do you want to do, the question becomes what are the things that you have ever wanted, or wanted to do?
Yes, EVER. Back to when one's eyes shone at the thought of being a fireman, or a ballerina, or a circus highwire artist. Sometimes these goals, seen now, are no longer of interest. Sometimes they maintain a spark that may once again be fanned into enthusiasm. The teen who dreamed of being an actor may in middle age find such joy in amateur dramatics that s/he regains enthusiasm for life. The would-be writer can now put pen to paper with a knowledge of humanity that was lacking long years before.
So if your client seems stumped for an answer to the question, "What do you want to do with your life?" try another tack. Ask, "What have you EVER wanted to do with your life?" The answer may be just what is needed to brighten a present that has become lackluster, and create a future where the dreams can again shine brightly.
About the Submitter
This piece was originally submitted by Diana Robinson, Ph.D., Personal Development Coach, who can be reached at Diana@ChoiceCoach.com, or visited on the web. Diana Robinson wants you to know: I am a member of the International Coach Federation, and am a Coach University graduate. To learn more about my Personal Development Coaching and/or to subscribe to either/both of my two e-mail free newsletters, please visit my web site. I also offer you the gift of a half-hour of free coaching by phone, with no obligation.
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