issue06 / Hulya Kurt
What you write, you invite!
Coaching and journaling… Hand in hand relationship, yet so difficult for people to start writing.
And once you start, it goes smoothly, the words are written in such a way that it really is you.
Your emotions, your thoughts, no judgements… It is basically your path to your own better self.
I did not like writing either.
Everything changes, after my beloved hubby passed away. Suddenly, he had a heart attack and I was so angry, so desperate, my son in anxiety and panic attack mode, me in my grieving status yet I could not grieve as much as I wanted.
One of my powerful coaches and peers suggested that I start writing. Start a journal. I was against it, nevertheless, I did not have anything to lose.
First step, I bought a notebook. First evening, I wrote my first words, and this was in big letters. I am sad, I am angry. This started my whole journey of already filling in 3 journals. In the beginning more emotions and now it turned into a brief day recap, imagining talking to my hubby.
My story just testaments how important journaling is in a coaching session, after to mark down the next action steps, the dates, and the plan.
It is more for you than anyone else. Not forgetting what was said, remembering some key words.
Your journal is your safe space. It is private, it is your true voice, and it is your accountable buddy.
That is why journaling during or after a coaching session is so important. Either to write down your manifestation, your goals, your vision, and your mission statement. It makes it real; it makes it visible.
That’s also the reason in any professional organisation, the goals for the year are written down, documented, and reviewed. In need, you can always amend, revise, and change it.
Journaling does not need to be long. For some, bullet points, for some more information or one sentence or prompt, for some even some collage or drawings. You can be creative. For some even pictures taken with your mobile might serve you as journaling and a prompt on what you covered during the coaching session.
Depending on the situation and circumstances, relationship with the client, the coach might invite them to write down their goals and go back reflect on what has been taken away from this session.
It can be a brain dump, it can be free flow of all options and opportunities, it can be your ally and unravel your misbeliefs.
Not only for the client but also for the coach. I always write down what we discussed, what we will cover for next time and what the client was supposed to do, as otherwise I would forget.
Also, we as coaches are confronted with our client’s life challenges and we might just want to write it off our heart, which helps to make a distance and look at it from a different angle.
Some prompt questions for you:
- When faced with a question you do not know the answer to: If I did know the answer, what would I do next?
- What specific things do I notice at this moment? Describe the small details: sounds, smells, noises, sights, textures, emotions, ideas, inspirations, thoughts, memories, etc.
- What happened in the last 24 hours for which I am grateful? What do I appreciate about those events, and what do they mean to me?
Have a try but only once as behavioural change does not happen if you do it only once. You need to give it at least 1-2 weeks before you can decide what is best for you.
Happy journaling!
