To Realize

To Realize

Realize is the name I chose for my life coaching service company because it expresses the most significant aspects of the coaching missions in my eyes. On one hand it is to cause awareness and the other hand to effect concrete results.

As we are entering a new year I am taking inventory of my realizations. In parallel to that exercise I am considering the direction I want to take and the use I want to make of this blog. I have clearly neglected the exercise of writing articles over the last past year. My heart was not into it for the simple reason that I saw it only as a means to an end. Let me share with you some components of that process. You may relate, find some use to reading my words and gain some awareness regarding an analog situation in your own life.

Running a business is not solely about providing your services or products. There is all the administrative and fiscal dimension of it. You also have to inform your fellow human beings that you exist, that you do what you do and why they want what you have. They call it marketing I was told. Long story short, the blog was a necessary exercise of producing content to bring traffic to the website in order to generate leads. Notice how this last sentence exudes enthusiasm. Just to be clear, it does not. This is where I was coming from. Today, I view “the blog” in a different light. I realized what thoughts I had that kept me in a place of reluctance and stagnation. I also realized certain shifts and gained different perspectives on blogging over the last year.

I was encountering obstacles both regarding form and content. I mentally assaulted myself with plethora of objections that I allowed to slow me down to the point of inertia. I compiled my top five thoughts that echoed my doubts and fears and associated them with my newer perspectives.

Regarding the form:

“I am not a writer”. Granted I have not trained myself in forging a style nor do I have literary talents. The objective of this blog is not to write a novel but to communicate ideas. It is a communication exercise. I am willing to do my best to seek efficiency in articulating these ideas. Moreover, I think it is beneficial on every level to train one’s communication skills in whatever form.

“English is not my first language”. I was concerned to produce clunky sentences that would seem weird to an English reader but then again I realized that it is a great place for me to improve my English. Writing is a little more demanding than speaking therefore it provides me with a little extra challenge that in turn will benefit me.

“It will not be perfect”. Here is an opportunity to exercise letting go of perfection. Perfectionism in my observation leads more often than not to crippling individuals into inaction rather than support them in achieving excellence. I can do my best with the tools and knowledge I have and seek improvement any chance I get. I can strive for excellence rather than waste my time and energy with the mirage of perfection. Doing my best requires to set certain criteria and standards, and then respect those the best I can.

Concerning the content:

“What am I going to talk about? I have nothing new nor earthshattering to say!” I realized there was hardly any idea that is truly new under the sun and that novelty was not the primary objective. A better use for me of this platform of expression is to share the tools, concepts and insights that have impacted positively my quality of life and participated in my own development. I can also answer the recurring questions and misconceptions I come across regarding coaching.

“What if they criticize me?” It is never pleasant to be made fun of or to be attacked. I came across a comment that said: “If you walk on water, haters will say that it is because you can’t swim.” I have made my peace with the fact that unless this blog is perfect it will receive a certain amount of criticism and we have established that perfection is not an option. I decided to get over myself already! I will do my best to use constructive criticism to advance and refine the quality of my work and where nonproductive comments are made to avoid taking it personally.

Needless to say that there were many other objections that I have faced but these five ones were the most tenacious. Like most thoughts, once they are identified they can be reasonably counteracted or eliminated. They may lead also to realizing bigger or deeper issues. In this case, I have assessed for myself that there is value in many ways in writing this blog. I see how writing connects with my purpose and my passion. I thrive on sharing the good stuff. I love to share what gives me joy and participates in accessing peace of mind. I am now clearer on what the benefits of this blog are for me and for others.

It is also a display of what coaching is about: unearthing, bringing to one’s conscious and attention what is playing in the background. Putting “it” into words rather than dealing with an obscure discomfort that is hidden in the darkness and the recesses of the mind where lurks the self-sabotaging thoughts. All that we accomplish requires realizing our perceived limitations, realizing breakthroughs and take action wherever possible to achieve that which participates in our betterment and development. My aspiration is to effectively share my processes, experience and tools that I have gathered to contribute to your realizations.

Definition of “Realize” online Merriam-Webster: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/realize?utm_campaign=sd&utm_medium=serp&utm_source=jsonld