Not What You Think – revisited
Back in September of 2016 I wrote an article called Balance Coaching is Not What You Think. In this article I attempted to articulate what Balance Coaching actually is. I did this because though the term “Balance Coaching” made sense to me, it did not convey to others what it actually was.
Balance sounded nice, and safe and calm and, well, maybe boring. An equilibrium that was so centered your brain says “that’s nice.” But that part of your brain is seldom heard, because there’s another part of your brain always shouting “OW! That hurts! We should fix that thing that hurts and is really uncomfortable!” So instead you make sure not to sit on rusty nails, get the TPS reports to your boss in time so you’re not yelled at, make sure the kids are at practise on time so they don’t complain, and feed the cat so he stops meowing. Meanwhile the concept of ‘balance forgets to tell you about all that pain that goes away.
Consider this an update.
A Unicorn
In a recent discussion explaining what Balance Coaching was, two words manifested themselves. These two words summed up exactly what Balance Coaching was without using the word ‘balance’ or ‘coaching.’ It explained what magical thing happens when you connect the dots, work smarter, lay everything out on a nice Balance Sheet and get some sh*t done:
Stress-Free Productivity.
Imagine that. More productivity, less stress, at the same time. That’s what balance coaching is – it’s how you get to stress-free productivity. Perhaps ‘Stress-Free Productivity’ coaching may not be as fluid as ‘Balance Coaching,’ but it tells you exactly what you get.
I know what you’re going to say… “That’s impossible! You don’t understand my schedule, or how things work for me. That’s like a Unicorn!” Read on. It’s not impossible.
Stressful vs. Stress-free
We all know what stress is. We all know (or hope we know) what productivity is. They typically go hand in hand, after all, the more effort you put into something the more you get out. Right? But if you want a few things (we all do) and not just one thing, you may find that more effort (Energy) in one creates a lack of effort in another. Same goes for Time and Resources. They fight each other. So you strive to find… balance. But even in finding balance you’re making concessions and giving in and giving up in ways you may not like. That pulling creates stress.
You may then switch to a denial mode in which you just keep pushing in both directions (sometimes it’s three or more directions). You push and create stress and more stress until something gives. That something can be one of your tasks (sorry, I don’t have time to meet up any more) health (high bp from work), sanity (no fun, or overcompensation with adult beverages or substances) or even a relationship (you work too much, we never have time for date night, you’re always stressed from work)
That’s stressful productivity. And that’s life for most people. In varying degrees.
Stress-Free Productivity is Feng Shui and Fun
Stress-Free Productivity is not impossible. Not only that, it’s actually more natural, more feng shui and more fun. By entering things on the Balance Sheet we can take a good look and map how you are currently doing things. We can then add what you’d like to do. Then we can work together, manipulate, test, discover and change. Then we map out how you’d like to do things. And then we do that. We do it with the Alchemy For Life system. A system complete with a supporting web application (Balance Sheet, Goals, Journal, Video).
And the unicorn appears. You can even pet him.
You’ll want to contact me because you now know what Balance Coaching actually is.
Mark Bradford is the author of nine books, both fiction and nonfiction, including the clinical psychologist-endorsed Three Voices as well as the award-winning trilogy The Sword and the Sunflower.
Mark Bradford developed a system to achieve goals, manage your energy and understand and strengthen your path – it’s Alchemy for Life™.
He writes, coaches and speaks on the subject. For more information, tips and tricks, like Mark Bradford on Facebook, follow Mark Bradford on Twitter.
Schedule a 15 minute chat.
Articles are posted regularly on AlchemyFor.Life, and LinkedIn.
iTunes Spotify Google Podcasts