As a child, I loved doing "connect-the-dots", using a pen to concatenate dot after dot until a picture emerges. When I as a parent, many years later, now have the opportunity to relive this activity, I notice that much of the joy and satisfaction of seeing the finished result remains.
But it wasn't until fairly recently that I realized the similarities between a drawing activity like this one and the work we do together in life coaching. I know it might sound a bit strange, but bear with me in this two-minute read and I'll explain!
As human beings, we come into life here on earth, bringing every quality and emotion there is. We grow up in a world that helps shape our thoughts and beliefs about ourselves and others, which in turn affect how we live our lives, how we feel and the choices we make. Along the way, we draw conclusions about which of our qualities are good and which are less so. Based on things that happen in life and things we encounter from people around us, we decide that certain parts of ourselves are more okay to show than others.
However, it is our birthright and our natural state to experience ourselves in our wholeness, to reclaim the parts that we have set aside, held back or judged as bad. Every quality and every part of us, even those we find hard to be with and accept and those we even barely know exist, is needed and has a purpose and a task in our lives. (And what we cannot to be with in ourselves does have a tendency to come through anyway, often with really poor timing or when we least expect it.) The key here is to understand the messages they hold for us and find the gifts that are there.
This is where integrative coaching, the kind of life coaching I'm trained in, comes into play. When we learn to recognize, listen to and learn from the perceived obstacles in our everyday life, we can use them to work in our favor rather than have them use us. They become something that helps us in life and that brings us closer to our dreams and goals. And much like with "connect-the-dots", we become more whole and our life experience is richer when all parts of us are invited to participate.
I truly believe that we all have the answers we need within us when we go inside and listen, but it is also my experience that our inner world can become clearer for us when being reflected by someone else in a safe and allowing room. Are you curious about what it might be like to step into such a room? You are warmly welcome to book a free exploratory call without any obligations here on the website to get a feel for how life coaching could be enriching for you. I work online via video and email, in Swedish and in English.
Warmly,
Karolina
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