Quietening the Inner Critic- A Coach’s PCC Journey to Greater Awareness

As Aristotle put it,?“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom”,?and this wisdom, through the years has surely stumped us all. The very fullness of these words takes one down the path of self-introspection, retrospection joy, and even regret.

A few months ago, during my PCC journey, I was given an interesting bit of feedback from my mentor coach. An indication that observing another coaching session isn’t about ‘personal opinions’ or figuring out how I would have done it differently, but it’s about observing the patterns- for what they are. Merely that, simple observations.

This made me introspect deeply. When does the line between who you are and what you do blur?

When do you attach, when do you detach?

Does being a successful coach mean you are always at the top of the listening pyramid, detached, non-judgmental, and yet involved?

And most importantly, can one hold onto that stance of quiet detachment through all the associations in one’s life?

Can one successfully be consistent in quietening the incessant chatter of the inner critic as this listening capacity increases? Can one switch the evaluation on and off, allowing the inner critic to work in certain environments but not in all?

This made me delve deeper into the very basic premise of coaching. The Coach is detached, her role being one of empowering her client, through the act of specific realizations and actions. I am reminded of the words of a Great Spiritual Master of our generation, Meher Baba. He said, “I have come not to teach, but to awaken”.

This somehow feels deeply relevant to a coach’s role in helping clients realize their fullest potential. Not to teach, but to awaken. The PCC journey with CTT was all about this ‘awakening’. Spending time on this very personal self-reflection has been cathartic, fulfilling, and instrumental in building my brand. I learned to identify my ‘inner chatter’ and methods to not stump but quieten it down.

A deeper Self-Reflection, not merely scratching the surface, has allowed me to grow my emotional health.

There have been pertinent questions I have diarized/journaled to ask myself when it comes to self-reflecting, on my career as a coach.

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• What is my?progressive career goal? Is my current role enabling me to achieve it?
• How do I personally define career success? Are my goals truly fulfilling me, or are their definitions being impacted by the opinions and perspectives of others?
• How would I be able to reflect in five years if only minimum changes or no changes are made to my current career trajectory?
• If I am coasting/complacent in my current role, what is the root cause?
• Do I know what my current skills gaps are and how I can fill them?

My trick to answer these self-reflecting questions is being a stranger to myself, ridding myself of bias and preconceptions. As Simon Sinek recommends,?‘look at a situation as if you were the third person evaluating it’, and I find that ‘detachment’ helpful when I explore my own story.

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My PCC journey with CTT has ironed out the ’not so visible’ creases. My focus on Skill Development, my emotional well-being, my relationships in the professional ecosystem, and the very trajectory on which I build the plans for the next 5 years have taken on a different shape through this self-reflection.

As I knock on the doors of being a PCC, this quest to quieten the inner chatter continues. The magic of being aware of its presence changes with the Mindfulness this PCC journey instills. The ability to detach is getting honed more and more with practiced ‘quietude’. The ability to observe without judgment, be involved without involving oneself, and above all, practice the art of conscious detachment are the Holy Grail, I believe, the very hallmark of who I strive to be as a Coach.

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I benefitted through the obvious changes mentioned in my blog, a greater capacity to reflect, hone, and establish my brand as a Coach.

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About the Author:

Behzad Randeria has through her years as a life coach, learned the power of forging on relentlessly, no matter how choppy the seas, or how blurred the way ahead. Her insight into human behavior and wisdom in managing a vast executive workforce made her one of the most sought-after executive coaches within organizations across India, the Middle East, and the Far East. ?

Over 20 years in the journey of training and a lifetime of experiences. Behzad Randeria has well over 3100 hours of one-on-one coaching to her credit. A lifetime of helping people did make sense and meaning in the lives of many, coupled with decade-long engagements in corporate coaching/training.

Her vision and mission, have always been to empower the professional, empower the student, empower the housewife, empower the child - to relentlessly power on, no matter how grave the circumstances.

During the mentoring, executive coaching, and training years, the interactions with top deck executives who are parents, who would be parents, triggered an affinity to work on Why and How to teach parent and child Mind-Up, to arrive at Mindfulness.

The degrees and certifications she has acquired, have helped in learn facts, The education trained her to think, which helped carve out life’s essential behavioral qualities, Powerful, Polite, Authoritative yet humble in her extraordinary life, is an example of Behzad’s lived experiences.?