One of the Most Empowering Things You Can Do for Other People

Among the many benefits of the coaching relationship is the opportunity for a client to feel seen and heard. One of the ways that I do that is by treating clients as the experts in their own lives. Instead of advice-based sessions, I facilitate a discussion and ask questions in a way that prompts clients to look within to uncover what they know to be true for themselves.

After all, how can a coach – or anyone for that matter – be an expert on your life? Only you know what is right for you. My role is to affirm and support you as I create the space for you to be who you are, which is how people feel truly seen and heard.

I believe that treating others as the experts in their own lives is one of the most empowering things you can do for them! Whether it be family, friends, or business associates, you elevate your connections when you give people this level of respect.

Think about those interactions in which someone attempts to problem-solve by offering you unsolicited advice or a solution after you speak. I would argue that it leaves many people feeling frustrated and inadequate, as if they need to be fixed. Instead, I am advocating a way of communicating and interacting with others from a place of power. Note that I am not referring to the times in which we intentionally seek out advice or a mentor.

Consider how different your relationships might be if you viewed the people in your life as capable, intelligent beings. Further, if you treat others as experts in their own lives it releases pressure on both ends. It frees you from the need to fix people and their problems, and it relieves a burden you have placed on the receiver. When people feel free to live in the way that is best for them, they are empowered to do whatever it is they need to do.

Challenge yourself to be guided by the belief that we all know ourselves better than anyone else. If you release the need to fix people and forgo the tendency to be an advice-giver, you will become someone who empowers.

When you view people as the experts in their own lives, you:

·????????Build a higher level of trust.

·????????Create a more positive, uplifting exchange.

·????????Make others feel seen and heard.

·????????Demonstrate confidence in their abilities.

·????????Allow room for others to make mistakes.

·????????Free people to do what works for them.

·????????Free yourself of the need to fix others.

The other upside is that when you focus on becoming an expert in your own life, and your life only, true transformation can occur in the only person you can control – YOU!?