What luggage are you carrying?
And who has packed them?
When I was training as a coach, I believed the key was to build up the most complete toolkit (methodologies, strategies and tactics) to serve any type of client in any type of situation. I have recently discovered that being an effective coach is not a matter of ‘accumulation’; it is a matter of ‘decluttering’.
As a person who had moved >40 times in life, I have a rule: ‘Never bring with you some luggage than you cannot carry on your own’. So, every time I moved, I really paid attention not to exceed my auto-imposed ‘luggage maximum weight’. And yet at some points I started struggling.
Why? Because I was not only carrying my luggage! I was bringing with my also some items borrowed or kindly offered from others (have you ever had a granma or an auntie who at the last second, without your knowledge, managed to stuff in your backpack her home-made cake, carefully stored in the heaviest glass tupperware on the market?).
Deeply inside my luggage, there were the view of the world I got from my family, the ways my childhood friends used to see me, a few habits from my culture traditions, some preconceptions grabbed here and there, various promises, powerful beliefs on how my future would (not) be.
And, to make my life even easier, in a session with my coach, I discovered that non only I was carrying all this with determination (and pride?), but I was carrying all this while wearing an elegant pointed-toe stiletto made in Italy, as a kind reminder that if you want to move forward you need to suffer!
If this metaphor speaks to you, take some time for yourself, and check what luggage you are really carrying - the shoes check is optional 😉! If you need help with this exploration, just send me a message with the form below; I would be very happy to help you in the same way as I have been helped.
(Photo by Nick Karvounis on Unsplash)