Life Launch

This week I took the first step towards becoming a certified coach.  I've done a fair amount of coaching over the years and have even taught John Whitmore's G.R.O.W. model of coaching.  I would like to enhance my coaching capabilities so I can 1) be even more effective in my current role and 2) expand my range of options for future roles.

After gathering recommendations from people I trust, I investigated a few coaching programs.  I settled on The Hudson Institute after talking with one of the faculty and reading a book by the institute's founder, Frederic Hudson.  The book, titled The Adult Years: Mastering the Art of Self-Renewal proposes a theory and model of adult development.  Unlike child development models which are premised on a linear increase in levels of capability, this model is a circle and is premised on a repeated cycle of renewal.  The theory resonated with me.

So here I am, in my hotel room in Santa Barbara, reflecting on my first day.  A pre-requisite for the coaching program is completion of a seminar called Life Launch.  This is a program to help adults who are in the midst of transition and change to reflect and envision a plan for their next steps.  Prospective coaches have to complete the Life Launch program before they can start the coaching certification program.

Today we did a lifeline exercise to summarize our personal history, plotting our peaks and valleys.  My biggest insight was that the peaks were generally things I chose or resulted from things I chose, while the valleys were generally things that happened to me or resulted from things that happened to me.

We also spent some time getting to know the others in the program.  There are 14 participants, 11 women and three men.  We are doing much of our work in two small groups of seven.  My small group is all women, and I'm intrigued by each of them.  I'm looking forward to spending more time with these ladies over the coming days and into the future.

We wrapped up the day with an overview of the cycle of renewal and some discussion on how it might apply to each of us.  I feel like I'm in all the stages at once.  Perhaps I'll have more clarity on where I really am after sleeping on it tonight.  We spoke about ways to "feed and water" the stage called cocooning.  The value of journalling came up.  I used to do a lot of journalling during my college years and early adulthood.  I found myself resisting - - and voicing my resistance - - during the discussion this evening.  I was thinking "I haven't even been blogging lately, how can I journal?!"  And that brought me to this moment.  For the next few days, I'll use my blog to keep a journal of the Life Launch experience.

We closed today's session with a "check out" activity in which each person shared a single word that summarized how they were feeling.  All I could think of was the word "minty" so that's what I said.  I was chewing gum, so of course, I did feel a minty taste, but there is something more to it.  Mint is invigorating, clean, awake, and a little edgy in a good way.  That's how I'm feeling after the first day.