As a health professional I see a lot of people, groups, companies who have fallen/assumed/been taught a helpless and hopeless set of thoughts and consequent actions/behaviours. Regardless of the area I see them, homes, health settings, workplaces, educational settings, social situations.
It often makes me wonder how they got there. My logical mind and training has taught me various different theories, philosophies, strategies to work with these people to facilitate forward momentum through goal setting, support, encouragement, adaptation, modification, independence, motivation…. The list is literally endless given how long I have been doing this.
What I had not been taught but always had a feeling of was ‘what is emerging’. Giving someone the opportunity to consider what they want ie the goal, and how to identify this from the individual’s, group’s or communities perspective to take control and create their own forward momentum. Therefore, relinquishing the control from the professional’s perspective, my perspective. It was coach training that taught me this and one particular training that was steeped in Process Work, a type of Psychotherapy.
I can still use all of the above logical and rational options and all the years of experience but with a much deeper understanding of what I am observing and then how to work with clients for the forward momentum. It has changed the way I work and it opened me to the world of coaching.
The concept of ‘what is emerging’ is far more important to advancement of an individual, group, community, and society particularly in the current climate of change and access to technology and the internet. We live in a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) time and we need to approach everything differently. The modern world as it exists today is different to the world 10 years ago, particularly in the western world. Medicine, science, technology has changed in such a short space of time. If individuals, companies, educational institutions, law societies, governments, religious institutions, politics basically everyone and everything are attempting to move forward with what worked 10 years ago they will be struggling on all different levels.
Things that will assist to create forward momentum:
- Taking the time to recognise where we are at in time and space and being ok to not have all the answers but to find them as we move forward
- Considering different ways of assessing, assisting, approaching, addressing, circumstances, situations, conflict, individuals.
- Knowing who we are and what guides us in our decisions and approaches.
- Knowing that there is no single way, no right or wrong way forward given the complexity of what we encompass daily.
- Reviewing values and beliefs that we bring with us, and considering what no longer serves us.
- Understanding how to accept change and differences, moving away from what is known and traditionally accepted and being able to maintain an open mind for discussions of depth of emergence with consideration to change and difference.
- Accepting that ‘to remain the same is to stagnate and ultimately decline’.
Understanding that using the past to grow, reviewing the things that have most likely begun the helpless, hopeless snowball and using these as stepping-stones to do things differently will greatly impact on advancement and reduce the amount of helplessness and hopelessness.
If you would like to discuss any of this further do not hesitate to contact me at masteryofdoing@gmail.com
