I read this very interesting blog in December from a former coach, Corrina Gordon-Barnes who is taking a sabbatical from her life of self employment. I liked it because it posed a thought provoking idea for me. Do you need to be clear before you make a leap to do something different (for example)? or do you need trust – in yourself, in the idea that something will happen – before you do so?
Corrina might be seen as ‘brave’ for what she’s doing. Giving up her well established and successful career to go and do… who knows what? Yes, she had no idea what she was going to do next. But she trusted that it would turn out alright in the end.
Ouch.
I have pitched my business as a place where you can find clarity in order to help you move forward and resolve whatever issue is holding you back. I don’t mention ‘trust’ as such. So, have I been getting it wrong? Possibly. Or could I still be right?
You see, Corrina has been there before. She remembers times when she’s taken a leap of trust previously, with no clarity about what might happen next. By remembering those times she has reminded herself what worked, what didn’t. What she learnt from each experience, and what she would and wouldn’t do again.
Good for her. I really admire that. Still scary though.
For the rest of us, it may not be so straightforward. I didn’t start this business without giving it lots of thought, doing lots of research (about myself mainly) and lots of thinking. There was a bit of a leap of trust – or faith, whichever you prefer – but largely there was an element of planning so that I had the clarity about what I was going to do before I moved forward.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll want people to talk to, to bounce ideas off. You might even want a coach to listen to you when all your friends and family have got bored, as you mull over your ideas and thoughts. A space where you can find clarity.
As you work towards finding clarity, you build a trusting relationship with your coach and you work together to help you to move forward. I know, because this happened for me. My Coach had total belief that I could set up this business and have clients within the time frame I said I would. Because I trusted her, I believed in myself too. And off I went.
So to answer the question am I right or wrong to offer clients the space to find clarity rather than trust? Honestly? I think it’s important to have both. They come hand in hand. And sometimes people need clarity before they can leap into the unknown.
What do you think?
