Do you remember a time you decided to do something that was beyond normal? Can you recall how you felt the first time you embarked on this new journey? For me, one of those “first” experiences was attempting to learn to swim. To this day, I can remember the other kids in the pool with me having fun, splashing in the water, and the sun shining down on us. I wish I could say I learned to swim. The other things I remember are quickly sinking to the bottom of the pool, holding on for dear life to the edge, and a friend helping me attempt to “cheat” the swim school by retrieving the rings off the bottom of the pool for me.
One of the greatest tools I have learned from Coach Training EDU is to enjoy the journey. Beginning the journey and enjoying the process is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves. This perspective relieves the stress of control and results, and focuses on the process of learning and growth. Who did I want to become through this opportunity?
I previously had a personal coach and decided from that experience to begin certification training as a life coach for myself. The thought of stepping into something new, in a busy season of life, concerned me. My wife was going to have our second child during the class semester, plus, we had begun revitalizing a non-profit organization. Adding weekly classes for a semester would just be another task on the list, but I knew this was something I had to do.
Then, in the middle of the semester of certification training, the unthinkable happened: a family in our organization was killed during an overnight house fire, with a twelve year old autistic daughter being the only survivor with minimal local extended family.
During this season of life, Coach Training EDU became not only my classroom, but one of the greatest support systems in life. My personal coaching skills were developed, but I was metamorphosed. The relationships formed throughout my training became a safe space for me to walk through a challenging season of life.
C.S. Lewis said, “Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes but when you look back everything is different…” Everyday brings new change. We either have the proper perspective and take ownership of our lives to enjoy the process, or we allow the results to happen to us. We learn to own the change today, or regret the change tomorrow.
During my semester with Coach Training EDU, the landscape of my life changed immensely—a newborn and the loss of a close family. Through the semester, I learned how to encourage others to have courage, but I also grew in courage. When we learned about grit, I was walking through my own, personal grit. I found myself accomplishing my goal of learning the skill of life coaching, while all at the same time, I was being coached. My experience has resulted in being able to provide life coaching to clients who are transforming, just like I was.
It has become my slogan: Time to BE the Difference.
Zach Prosser
Essential 1.0 Training Program Fall 2016