Chapter 2 Flashcards
Difference between Difficult-Easy & Difficult-Difficult
Difficult easy is the stuff we do that’s stressful, challenging, and/or irritating, but familiar - it’s our daily grind - the pain that we recognize.
Difficult-difficult is the stuff we do that’s also uncomfortable, perhaps even terrifying, but truly growth-promoting. (choose the challenge that will really get you the results you seek.)
Think like a beginner
every client benefits from starting at Level 1. Have a beginner’s mind - show up with an open mind, pretending that you don’t know anything. stay receptive. review familiar ideas as if it were the first time you’d seen them. Let yourself struggle and make mistakes.
Motivation is unreliable
the more you act, the more motivated you’ll be. the more you have systems, processes, and routines to help yourself act, the more you can do it.
Break down goals to what?
skills and daily practices
to reach a goal you need to build skills
to build those skills, you need to do certain practices regularly.
to make those practices manageable and consistent, you need to break them down to small steps.
goal=where you want to go
skill=the ability or capacity that you need to achieve that goal
practice=something you need to do to build that skill
daily action=small specific tasks you need to do consistently
what makes a great coach?
know how to help people change
coach the “whole person”
know and guide themselves
What is coaching the “whole person”?
1: be client-centered
2: take a biopsychosocial perspective
3: coach for “deep health”
What is a client-centered approach?
- know, understand and respect the client’s priorities, values, and goals. (put their agenda and needs first.)
- build a strong coach/client relationship & rapport
- remember that a client is always a person - never a condition, label or a personality trait
- attune and relate to their thoughts, feelings, and potential suffering or challenges. recognize and validate what’s happening for them and imagine what it might be like.
- do a lot of listening, learning, observing, careful analysis
- make decisions based on reality, rather than on what “should” happen
- collaborate with clients rather than telling them what to do.
In the client-centered approach, the coach is:
a guide, collaborator, or navigator
- people have a natural tendency towards growth. the coach simply supports this natural impulse and helps to clear whatever is blocking it.
- compassion, empathy, and care
- respect for the client’s autonomy and self-determination
- non-judgment and acceptance
- allow uncertainty, ambivalence, and ambiguity
- be genuine
skills and practices of client-centered coaching-
- unconditional positive regard - be respectful and compassionate (actively looking for the good in people. accept them as they are.)
- full presence and engagement - make them feel like they’re the most important thing in the world right now
- observation - look, listen and learn. pay attention to cues, be curious
- understanding - explore your client’s motivations, limiting factors and world views (“get them”)
- solution and strengths-focused mindset - look for what’s going right.
- appropriate progression - keep your client in their optimal “growth zone”. challenge them enough to keep them engaged, improving, pushing their boundaries a little, but not so much that it’s overwhelming
- appropriate regression - understand when to make things easier
- practice what you preach - speak, act and work with integrity
- communication - express yourself clearly, accurately, and respectfully
- humor - have a sense of humor/make coaching fun
recognize clients as individuals
each client will have different: bodies and physical abilities life experiences needs & wants preferences: likes and dislikes personalities problem-solving abilities attitudes about change and trying new things nutritional levels identities (who they think they are) values (what matters to them) priorities (what they put first) goals (what they ultimately want to do)
biopsychosocial perspective
a biological component (physical features or health)
a psychological component (mindset, worries)
a social component (relationships or environment)
thoughts on meal plans/eating
most of the time, meal plans don’t work - eat this exact thing, in the exact amount, at the exact time…when we try to follow rigid Rx, lots can go wrong.
you just don’t stick to the plan, you follow the plan but it sucks, it isn’t sustainable, it doesn’t make you feel better.
real people don’t eat nutrients. we eat food.
if you want to eat better, you don’t have to get weird about things. you don’t need to weigh and measure everything or count your almonds. you just need to think about what you’re already eating and how you could make it a little bit better.
think about a spectrum of food quality rather than “bad” or “good” foods.
what does it mean to coach for “deep health”?
deep health involves thriving in all domains of human experience
1. physical health - how our body feels, functions, and performs
2. mental & cognitive health - how well we think, learn and remember. our perspective and outlook on the world, our creativity and flexible problem solving
3. emotional health - general mood, feeling a full range of emotions, but having more positive than negative emotions
4. existential/purposeful health - connect & interact well with others. develop and maintain authentic, fulfilling relationships, feel respected, seen, valued, and supported. have a sense of belongingness
5. environmental health - being and feeling safe and secure, access to resources (healthcare and healthy food)
these domains of deep health are intertwined and strongly connected
what does it mean “only action creates change”?
we don’t achieve goals through the mere act of setting them. we cannot think, want, hope, envision, or strategize ourselves into change. eventually, we must DO something.
go from goals to skills to practices to actions
- identify your clients goals - what do they want to move towards?
- break goals into skills - the abilities, competencies, or capacities required to do that thing or move in the desired direction
- break skills into practices - exercises and applications that help build the skills
- break practices into actions - small, specific concrete tasks that your client can do daily, or as often as possible.
repeated over time, these become habits
