Research Paper By José Luis Albrecht
(Life Coach, BRAZIL)
The theory of Coaching is based on the belief that everyone has the answers to his own questions and his own growth.
The central idea is that each of us holds within it the solution to any questions regarding what is needed to promote their growth and develop potential. All you need is to wake up and find your own answers.
Therefore, the theme of this article is an invitation to reflection.
This call is addressed to both: the Coach, as a Coaching professional; and the Client, as whom to submit to the coaching process.
The proposal is to suggest the creation of the habit of thinking, so that you can realize what is the human existence in general and your existence in particular, all from a practical point of view and directed to reality.
The purpose of this reflection is not a proposal for a totally abstract and vague reflection about of what life is, who we are and where we are going. No.
The proposal is that you seek to realize your reality here and now, and discover who you are, what your desires and goals, and what you’re doing to achieve these goals and to realize their dreams in this moment of your life.
The Role of Reflection
The idea is that you can evaluate and possibly modify some aspect of their life at the end of a reflection on this very aspect.
The reflection can either confirm that you are on the right path or it can result in a change of direction.
Reflection can lead to a deed or action to get as close as possible to what is really needed to fill your life with meaning and happiness.
The questions that arise by reflection may help you reflect and find what you need to do to achieve greater balance in your life.
At the same time, you can check if your goals are in tune with your own ideas and reflect what you really want for life itself.
Remember that you have to well know yourself so that your idea of success to be as clear and accurate as possible, and that this idea is in line with their desire for happiness and fulfillment.
Reflecting and responding to the questions yourself, you will organize and structure the thoughts and ideas about what is important at this time of your life.
With reflection, knowing better yourself and realizing what you need to follow in your way, you can decide what needs to change or develop in order to succeed, achieve their dreams and be happy.
It is important to remember that reflection and self-knowledge enables the perception of what constitutes success and happiness for you and point the way to a full and fulfilled life.
The reflection in the Information Age
The goal of reflection is to increase awareness of your own thoughts and feelings; is to verify the origin of desires; is to question the purpose of the objectives; in short, is to find your way to making a full trip of meaning, fulfillment and contentment.
For this you will need to learn to evaluate ideas, thoughts and information received over the years in your education, formal and informal, social and family, and all other sources with whom contact had up to this point in your life
We live in this early twenty-first century, the “Information Age”. Never in the history of mankind, we had access to such a large amount of information readily available and quickly multiplied and modified as today.
This new reality, while it opens the horizons of the mind, it also brings the possibility of losing sight of what is real and what is illusory, and the notion of what serves and does not serve of all of the information that is passed every time.
Furthermore, you must realize that the meaning and value of ideas and life itself now have several facets. So we need to filter it all to know how we feel and think in relation to all information that comes to our attention.
In other words, one must be careful not to lose critical thinking or fall on indeterminacy and confusion generated by the sea of opinions and thoughts that come to us every day.
Validate the information
Therefore, there is a need to develop the ability to question and check the information you receive. The intent is to validate the information and verify that they are in accordance with what you think, feel and believe about a particular subject, especially when the new information and ideas received have to do with the construction of his own life.
Another important aspect that must be examined is the influence of the social and family environment in the way of being and thinking. The pressure and the influence exerted by the environment in which we live are a reality of life. Are largely driven by ideas that have been imposed and who have not passed the scrutiny of our own reason and consciousness, and that are not in accordance with what we think and feel in our hearts.
Many ideas, theories and “truths”, in which it underpins and builds life, have not gone through critical reflection and therefore not based on free and aware choices.
So, we do not always lead the life according to our own conscience, and not always evaluate to see if the decisions are in agreement with what we really want for ourselves. Unfortunately, this reality implies certain inner confusion and lack of direction in our lives.
The good news is that you can be free and be able to choose what you want for your own existence. However, to exercise this potential freedom, you will have to reflect.
The Importance of Reflection
Reflecting, you will be filling the life of color and sense, since the reflection automatically expands awareness about things in general and enables to realize the interaction with the world and people that surround a deeper and true way.
On reflection, you come to realize that your existence is important and that you and your thinking and your feeling can make a difference and participate in the construction of reality in our world.
To reflect, you must develop the rational side, and do not doubt, you have the ability to think and reason and decide what you believe is best for yourself.
Reflecting and checking your life, your habits, your way of being, evaluating the ideas and principles that guide your choices, you will be checking the source of what drives their actions in the course of its own existence.
The idea is you become able to act and implement what you decide it is important to achieve goals and realize dreams.
Clearly define what you want is a needed condition to create a real idea of success in your mind and to put on practice all you have learned in your journey.
It’s good, it’s nice to reflect, look inside and discover who you are, what are your desires, aspirations and values, it is a great pleasure, a great joy, be more aware of yourself and the world around you.
You are in Control
If you decide to take the reins of the existence and decide to make your own choices, you will have to reflect, and reflection should become a habit in your life.
So, start by answering this question:
It is best to live the life, acting impulsively and unconsciously, without thinking and following others’ ideas
OR
It is best to live the life aware about what you feel and acting according to your reason itself, feelings and consciousness?
You can make a difference and your own thinking is important for you and all those around, including your family, friends, coworkers, and even to society and all mankind.
I say this because humanity lacks conscious beings, that think for themselves and are able to separate their ideas and opinions of the ideas and opinions of the masses.
Furthermore, in the unfolding of personal and professional life, you will be put to the test in various circumstances and will face many challenges.
Learning to think and getting used to reflect on the ideas that are presented and the events you attend, you will be better prepared to cope with the situations that arise in your life and to act according to their best understanding and in tune with your heart.
For all this and more, worth you reflect and develop their rational and intuitive abilities. By doing so, you may exercise your right to liberty and conduct life consciously, according to your own thoughts and feelings.
Knowing Yourself
Is not something new notion of the tremendous importance of self-knowledge to find their own way and move the energy in search of what really satisfies.
It is also the ancient idea that the self-knowledge fosters inner awakening of human being and creates the necessary conditions to find true fulfillment.
The knowledge of oneself has always been, is, and will remain the cornerstone of the evolution of the human being in all aspects of life.
Self-knowledge is essential for human development in the physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual dimensions.
Self-knowledge provides the increased awareness about yourself and will help you better deal with reality, and facilitate the decisions and choices about what you want and what you need to feel happy and fulfilled.
The tune with reality, the conscious decision and the choice reflected will allow you achieve superior performance in their work and personal activities.
You are who choose at the end
The reflection and a better understanding of yourself will help you organize your ideas and structuring your thoughts. Everything for your choices and decisions become more consistent with their ideas and in tune with the heart.
Regarding this point, I think it is worth reflecting on Carlos Castaneda’s message in his book “The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge”, which refers to the possible need for a change of direction in our own lives or in the life of a client. So I beg leave to quote the Indian Don Juan in the words of Carlos Castaneda:
… A path is only a path from thousands of pathways. Therefore, you should always keep in mind that a path is no more than a path. If you feel you should not follow it, you does not remain on it under any circumstances.
To have such clarity, you must lead a disciplined life. Only then will you know that any path is only a path, and there is no evil, for you or for others, abandon this path, if that is what your heart tells do.
But the decision to continue or abandon the way it should be free from fear and ambition. Therefore, I advise: look good for each path, and look purposeful. Try it as many times as necessary. Then ask yourself a question that only the wisest do: Has this path a heart?
If it does, the path is good and serves;
If not, is not good and doesn’t serve.
Both paths do not lead anywhere; but one has the heart and the other does not. One path makes a joyful journey and you will be one with it while you follow it. The other will make you curse your own life. A path strengthens, the other weakens ….
The message is inspiring and very useful to raise the value of reflection. Reflecting, you get to realize the importance of the chosen path have a heart. In this way, the journey will be more pleasant and mild, and the obstacles and difficulties will be more easily overcome.
Thus, life is starting to make more sense and the idea of success will be in tune with his ideal, his conscience and his heart.
The Best Way to Get What You Want
Knowing what you want is the best way for achieving your goals and to realize your dreams. The purpose of coaching is directly related to helping the Client on his/her way to advance toward his/her goals.
For the work to be productive and the result really valid, it is vital to have a previous reflection to ensure that the objective sought to be really in tune with the values and purposes that you do bring inside.
Through it all, a true reflection process is fundamental to effective Coaching process that produces the expected results for the same process.