What is your weakest link?

Coaching is recommended for people who have a specific goal or target they want to achieve in life.

Most often my clients have goals similar to the below:

1. Career growth - my next promotion
2. Better financial stability - a bigger bank balance
3. Find true love! A personal favourite that I have seen some incredible results.
4. Weight loss. People often underestimate how much the right attitude is needed in the pursuit of better health.

On the route to achieving these goals the first step in Coaching I use is called the "Wheel of Life". There are plenty of images available to this tool on the internet and it is a great exercise to even do on your own.

I use the above format as part of Career Conversations inside organisations and the commencement of any Coaching conversation irrespective of the goal.

If we look at the 6 parts above - we can come to a broad conclusion that a persons life could be sliced in this manner. I am sure there are many other components, however, the simplicity of the 6 parts makes the conversation easier.

The method includes asking the person to rate their life from a scale of 1 to 10 on each area. I ask them why they give the current rating and what does a rating of 10 look like to them.

Often people have excellence in 3 or more slices of this "pie". However, each slice is connected to each other - if not relies on each other. You would also agree with me that people can achieve excellence at the cost of their health, relationships and emotions.

Clients will say that they want to grow a bigger bank balance however, they fail to acknowledge how poor they are at managing their emotions. This exercise is brilliant for self exploration and helps them understand where they stand in each area of their life.

Sometimes, the slices of the pie conflict with each other - for e.g. in order to maintain a healthier lifestyle - you may take a dip in your financials - because a healthy lifestyle does come at a certain cost. It is far cheaper to buy a chicken fried rice or a Big Mac versus 3 apples that would only constitute a portion of the fruit consumption needed for that day, while you still need to consume a healthy portion of protein and fiber.

Another example of conflict is where in order to progress in your career you may need to spend on furthering your education and spend less time with your family and friends.

You are only as strong as your weakest link - this is true in teams and even for yourself. In times of crisis, in times of stress only preparation matters. Don't wait for the doctor to give you a report on the high cholesterol you have to start exercising. Don't wait for your boss to say that you are up for the next promotion to start thinking big. Don't wait for the right time to mend a relationship in your life - as the person could pass away before you could have had "that chat". Don't wait for a crisis to turn to "God" - that level of connectedness and serenity will prepare you to weather every storm.

Some things I remind clients wanting exponential growth in their life or in a certain quadrant of their life:

1. You can only focus on one area at a time - if you want to see phenomenal growth. Don't try to work on all areas. If you have a low scoring area - this means that there are things at a base level from beliefs that need to be changed. You have unconsciously neglected this area and it needs attention.
2. You must be willing to fail and probably will even in the first week of trying - or the first day itself. You certainly won't gain weight by eating one Big Mac today, however, you could if you continue on this trend. Be willing to try again or just change the game plan.
3. Be patient with yourself - we want to workout and see results within the first week or month. Everyone is unique and only consistency matters. You won't lose weight by eating one salad - but you will if you consistently do it.
4. Create daily habits and rituals in the area you seek growth. Consistency matters - today, you are a representation of all the things you have done consistently. If you have excellence in the area of life that is because you have done little things and spent more time in this area.
5. Maintaining excellence is hard - it is possible to completely slip in one area of your life and go from a high score of 8/10 to 3/10 overnight. This can happen due to many reasons - however, it is here that the strength of the other pieces in your life matters.

I recommend clients to do this exercise annually. It is a way to check-in on yourself - to see if you are progressing or moving away from your goals. Sometimes our definition of a 10/10 can change - this is fine. This means you have experienced growth in that area in your life and humans will always enjoy growth in their life.

My favourite reference in coaching is always professional athletes. Nothing better explains the beauty of seeing preparation meeting opportunity. They have brief pockets in time to achieve success, some are just seconds. They dedicate years to fail in that one moment - but they return and try again. History is full of people who tried and tried again - only to see success. We applaud these people but shy away from facing our deepest fears - the comfort zone is where we all die. Athletes who fail will re-strategise their plan and try again.

They say the graveyard is the richest place on earth - it is full of unfulfilled dreams and inventions the world will never see. Growth is not for the faint hearted but the journey is what paves the way for others. I repeatedly say that organizations are shaped like pyramids for a reason.

I have been oversharing this YouTube video recently a Goalcast episode. No matter what stage you are in your life or career - phenomenal results can be achieved. The right mindset matters.