Our clients come to us with a goal in mind, and they think (or hope!) we can show them the way. As coaches we help them get clear on the end goal, the underlying motivation (which they might not even know!) and overcome the obstacles in the way of achieving them.
A want (stated goal) is a strategy – like doing CrossFit, getting a personal trainer, going Vegan or hiring a nutritionist. The goal is their need. For this article we’ll assume their need is to feel better, mentally and physically. In consultations with clients we’ll get specific on what words and phrases resonate with them.
It’s important when clients tell us what they want that we understand their why, which is their underlying reason, which is their need. See what I did in that sentence? I drew a line from what they want to what they need.
Now that we know about wants and needs, how does Mindset Coaching fit into helping them achieve their goals? Mindset Coaching works in two ways – by directly helping with their goals, and by helping overcome stumbling blocks to their goals.
If our client’s goal is to be happy, they might think that only once they get that pull up, pick up the scary blue plates, lose X pounds, see some abs, then they’ll be happy. It’s human nature to believe that happiness comes after a goal is achieved. How often have we reached a goal only to discover that we’re not as satisfied as we thought we’d be, or failed to hit our objective target and become dejected?
Don’t get me wrong, having meaningful goals is part of a healthy mentality. Mindset coaching helps our clients by getting clear on their why, exploring other ways of getting their needs met instead of getting bogged down on one particular strategy. For some instances, we can bypass the middle man and go straight to the result – using the techniques you’ll teach in Mindset Coaching to help them become happier and more at peace NOW, rather than waiting on the external results they want.
As Mindset Coaching also focuses on Self Talk, Habits and Kindness, we can use these principles to help clients overcome stumbling blocks, poor habits and limiting beliefs when they’re trying to improve an aspect of their health. As they build their practice, they can see that staying up late watching re-runs of The Office is impacting their sleep (and as a result their mood, fat loss goals, productivity, etc.) They can not beat themselves up when they’re last to finish a workout, or miss the gym one day, but rather encourage themselves through the ups and downs of progress. They can begin to see why they’re reaching for the cookie (what need is that filling?) and gently nudge themselves toward the kinder option of a healthier snack.
Einstein said “you cannot solve problems on the same level of thinking that created them.” Very often as coaches we stay on the same level of knowledge when helping our clients. When we use Mindset principles we can go deeper and help them overcome the obstacles in their head so they can make the progress they’re looking for.