If you remain a skeptic I offer another example. The Washington DC (murder capital of the USA) study. In this study 4000 people from all over the world gathered one weekend in Washington DC. These were people who had organized 48 times prior to this study and each time they were able to achieve the same results. The group focused on reducing the murder rate for that weekend by at least 25% simply by gathering and thinking positive thoughts projected out into the community. The Chief of Police was extremely skeptical until the actual results were in. Was it a mere coincidence that the murder rate went down by more than 25%?
Coaching Application
Coaches guide their clients to a place of heightened awareness through the use of powerful questions. In the coaching profession we believe that the client has the cure for what is keeping them “stuck” in an unsustainable pace of life within themselves. As the client’s champion the coach encourages the client, who is seeking to bring order and balance into their life, to design and execute upon an action plan. Thomas Merton once said,
Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance and order…
Any effective leader knows that prior to asking anyone a probing question it would be helpful to ask yourself that question first. How would you respond if your client asks,
How do you know if you are leading a balanced life?
In a guest post on the “5 Essential Zen Habits for Balanced Living” Website Anastasiya Goers suggests the following to answer that question.
Balanced living is when you can offset any negative events in your life with positive ones. If your client is a visual learner it might be helpful to have them complete “The Wheel of Life” tool (see Resources). Once your client sees where their life is off-balance he/she can then develop the essential habits of a balanced life with a more specific focus. Those habits are:
Living an orderly/balanced life is
having the ability to reframe the chaos and change in order to understand and learn from it
according to Alex Blackwell in his article “How to live a balanced life” which appeared on April 2, 2009, The Bridgemaker Website.