Mindfulness & The 3 Step Approach
Someone asked me recently what makes me a great coach? What do I do with my clients that has them find real transformation, and are able to achieve their goals and then some?
I said mindfulness coaching and my 3 step approach.
You might think, “I’m just coming to you to work out, why do I need that?”
Paying deliberate attention to your experience in an open, curious way helps you break down the “why I do what I do”; once we address those habits, then we can break down which are holding you back from achieving your goal, and create new ones that support where you want to go.
My 3 Step Approach:
1. Creating Awareness:
Learning how to pay attention to your thoughts, specifically around food choices in this case. In this process you are “observing” yourself as if you were following yourself around. This will allow you to identify where and when these habits and patterns show up. You MUST be honest with yourself in admitting this.
2. Identify Behavioral patterns, triggers, habits, etc.
In the process of observing yourself now you “analyze” yourself. You start to identify where these habits and patterns are showing up continuously and when. This is a PRACTICE: this could take days, weeks, months, years to continue to discover things about our relationship with food that are under the surface. Are you 30 years old? Then be patient, because you have 30 years worth of habits to uncover.
3. Creating New Habits: and Taking ACTION!
Once you identify the habits you have, you can pick out which ones don’t align with your goals, and begin to replace them with habits that do. Once you identify them you “strategize” the actions steps that must be taken to create a new habit. Once you do this the practice is before making a choice “Stop, Think, choose and act” Making sure to make a conscious choice that is aligned with the ‘New’ habit you are practicing.
Address the behavioral patterns, habits and weaknesses, and know you have the power to make the change.
My job as a mindfulness coach is to help you discover and uncover what those habits are that get between you and your goals. By addressing these unconscious habits head on, we get a better understanding of our clients on an intimate level to support long term results.
The practice of mindfulness, or awareness, stems from my own mindfulness practice. It’s a big part of who I am today and who I have become over the last few years. My method of mindfulness is meditation - which, if you have been following me a while, you already know.
This is the method I use not just with my 1-on-1 clients, but also my group coaching with the ‘Dive In’ Program which I created last year. Instead of being on a strict diet that only offers short-term results, learn how to “Dive In” and create habits that will support you in the long run.