Creating the Conditions for Success
Image: Shutterstock/Jorma Sangsorn
Do you feel jammed in your personal progress? Is life feeling like a series of roadblocks? This isn’t necessarily a you problem. Rather, it’s very likely that aspects of your environment are holding you back.
In my work, I coach the whole person. Whole person coaching encompasses the four human domains defined by New Ventures West as beliefs, behaviors, relationships, and tools and structures. Most of us, including myself, tend to focus on our own beliefs and behaviors when trying to make change. We have in our heads that if we think a certain way or change certain habits, only then will our condition change; only then will we find success. But beliefs and behaviors are just part of the story. Certainly, mindset is key and practices are vital, but so are the relationships we maintain and the tools and structures we have at our fingertips.
Let’s consider that relationships and tools comprise the environment in which we live. They are external to us. Beliefs and behaviors, on the other hand, are internal. With that in mind, it doesn’t matter how hard we work on the internal domains: if the external domains aren’t also cultivated, the internal can never be sustained. And by cultivating all four domains — beliefs, behaviors, relationships, and tools and structures, we create a supportive, sustaining system for realizing our goals.
“By cultivating all four domains — beliefs, behaviors, relationships, and tools and structures, we create a holistic support system for realizing our goals.”
How might this play out in a coaching engagement? I often ask clients to to identify elements of the external domains that should be in place in order to assure their success. For instance, if part of the coaching engagement includes journaling for self-reflection, it’s not enough to will oneself to journal every day. We have to create the environment for successful journaling. This includes identifying the right format, whether typed or written, on a laptop, smartphone, paper notebook, or dictation. It includes identifying the best time of day and setting an alarm so the task is not forgotten. As for relationships, I advise the client share their journaling endeavors with friends and family, as appropriate. It’s possible that someone in your orbit already experiences the benefits of journaling and might enjoy discussing and sharing that experience with you. And those same people might additionally help create the conditions for successfully setting aside the time and space for it.
Hopefully this illustrates how you might find other ways to bolster your success mindset and practices by including your environment in the process. By approaching your goals with your whole person, not just your internal self, you’ll more naturally and sustainably prioritize the practices that contribute to your success. None of us is an island: we are interconnected with our environments, so let’s leverage the world around us.
Let’s Try Something
Trying to achieve a goal? Take a moment to assess how you are approaching that pursuit. Take a piece of paper and draw a large “X”. In each open space between the lines, write one of the following domains as they relate to your goal: Mindset, Practices, Partners, and Tools/Structures. Then, for each section, consider how you are employing the associated element and write down your impressions. You can do this quickly, then take a step back and observe the totality of your inputs. Where do you see gaps? Where might you add balance? How might you support the internal Mindset and Practices with external Partners and Tools/Structures? Build out your “X” to the fullest and then proceed to cultivate those elements for sustainable success.
The Four Human Domains is contained in the New Ventures West Methodology Book, v1.5, June 2021. New Ventures West teaches the Integral Coaching® method which seeks to coach the whole person with both depth and pragmatism. Integral Leadership® is a trademark of New Ventures West.
I’m now offering a mini coaching plan called Refresh to get you started.
Are you interested in working with me but can’t commit to a full engagement? Refresh gets you started, it’s easier on the wallet, and it can remain in its own container or be used as the starting point to a longer leg of your life journey. You’ll then have the flexibility to define your course or you’ll have the option to flow into my typical 6-month plan. If you commit to the 6-month plan you’ll only be charged the difference.
Refresh includes an intake, plan design, a discussion of your plan, then a check-in call to tweak or up-level the plan as you embark on your journey. You are also entitled to quick impromptu conversations prior to check-in to best ensure the plan’s efficacy.
All of this takes place within a 2-month period. You’ll walk away with a refreshed perspective of yourself and the possibilities before you.
Ready for a Refresh?
In creativity and compassion —