The Seven Wisdoms - WISDOM THREE - Aim for the Goal / Embrace the Process | By Fran Fisher, MCC

Wooden Tree as Bookshelf for Coaching Wisdoms

 

This week we continue a series of articles by Fran Fisher MCC, based on her book, "Calling Forth Greatness, Seven Coaching Wisdoms for Transforming Your Life".

Fran is a Master Certified Coach, Author, Speaker, and Champion for Learning, Growth and Transformation. In this series, Fran shares her passion for bringing the empowerment philosophy and principles of coaching into everyday living. Her vision is a world where the coaching approach is woven into our fabric of life!

See all 7 wisdoms here.

WISDOM THREE - Aim for the Goal / Embrace the Process

In the measurement world, we set a goal and strive to achieve it. In the universe of possibility, we set the context and let life unfold. Benjamin Zander

Woman at top of mountain looking at view

The Value of the Goal Process 'v' Achieving the Goal

We coaches recognize there is more energy and aliveness available in the process of moving toward a goal than in the result itself.

Clients experience more success, satisfaction, and fulfillment as they embrace the quality of their journey - even with its ups and downs and twists and turns.

The paradox is you can't have a process without setting a goal.

Coaches Support Clients in Embracing these 7 Success Factors for a Quality Journey:

  1. Be clear and focused on what you really want, and pay no attention to what you don't want.
  2. Be committed to achieving the goal. That sets up creative tension that will pull you forward.
  3. Allow head and heart partnership. Allow each to do what it does best: The heart notices what wants to change, and the head provides the direction and actions for manifesting that desire.
  4. Let go of any attachment to the form of the result, so you don't limit the possibilities.
  5. Appreciate your learning and self-discovery. Hold learning as your value, vs. judging any perceived mistakes, breakdowns, or failures.
  6. Be open to the unexpected (the miracles) along your path.
  7. Welcome what shows up, evaluate for learning, and revise your plan based on your self-discovery, step by step. The path may be circuitous, but the result will be richer and more satisfying in the end.

You have to accept whatever comes and the only important thing is that you meet it with the best you have to give. Eleanor Roosevelt

An Example

My client Barry wanted to make a million dollars in his first year of mortgage lending. Suspending my judgment (and believe me I had one), in the spirit of partnership, I said, "OK, let's go for it!"

In truth, I had no way of knowing what Barry was capable of. In the process of going for that goal:

  • Barry might call himself forth powerfully, leverage his innate strengths, learn new skills and build new practices for success. At the end of that first year, he could possibly blow right by that million and weigh in at 1.5 million or more.
  • The other possibility was that he could be stopped or slowed down by his own limiting beliefs, mental patterns, or emotional blocks.
  • A further possibility is that circumstances beyond his control (global economy, family crisis, natural disaster, etc.) could get in the way or derail him. Thus, his final result could have been less than his goal of a million dollars.

What I knew for sure was that his passion for his goal, his accountability to himself, and his learning process have the power to transform who he is being and who he is becoming in life - beyond mortgage lending.

Wrap-up

So, we should reach for the goal, aim high and not limit ourselves - or our clients. And then welcome whatever we learn along the way. Aim for the goal, and embrace the process!

Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal. Pamela Vault Starr

How to Benefit from this Wisdom:

As you read each of The Seven Wisdoms in this article series, you'll be asked to reflect on how you can apply these principles in your own life or work. Choose one way that works for you, and apply it to each principle. You could keep a specific notebook for this process or simply use your journal.

Here are a few ways you can benefit more deeply from this wisdom:

  • Your Calling Forth Greatness Inquiry: Who am I being as I aim for my goal and embrace my process? Reflect on this Calling Forth Greatness Inquiry for a day or a week. Notice what shows up; notice the impact; notice what you learn.
  • Visualize how your life and the lives of others around you could be empowered using this Coaching Wisdom.
  • Using this Coaching Wisdom as your focus; Journal around your learning or design your own inquiries to deepen your learning.
  • Work with a support buddy; share your challenges, progress, and learning; celebrate your results!

"The road to your dreams
Can only be found
With one foot in eternity
And the other on shaky ground."
Rick Tourquinio

Watch for Fran's Next Monthly Article, WISDOM FOUR: "Speak Empowering Language"

© 2019 Fran Fisher, MCC

If this article resonates with you, get the whole book: Calling Forth Greatness, Seven Coaching Wisdoms for Transforming Your Life, available here on Amazon in both Kindle and Paperback formats.

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Contributing Author:

Fran Fisher, Master Certified Coach, MCC. is a champion for the power of coaching and its transformational impact in the world.  She is one of the pioneers of the coaching profession and a founding executive board member of the ICF.  She specializes in coaching and mentoring coaches for their MCC. Connect with Fran on LinkedInFacebook and learn more about her free resources for coaches at www.franfishercoach.com.

Learn more about Fran & see all their articles here >>

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