Have you kind of heard about coaching but remain unsure of how the whole process works? The following coaching “case study” follows someone like you. Mark didn’t really know anything about coaching but he needed help with increasing stress at work. Read on to find out more…
Meet Mark
Mark, a late-twenties project manager found that mounting work stress was taking a toll on his physical and mental health. “I was at a low point in my life,” Mark explains. “My dad suggested coaching. I googled “coaching and Vancouver” and Heather’s name came up.” Uncertain of where coaching would take him, Mark has been pleasantly surprised with the changes he’s seen in his work, home and personal life: he now has more time for hobbies, has a great new relationship and is working on exciting projects at work. How did he do it? Mark puts the changes down to taking small steps toward an increase in time and energy.
Filling the Gap
He elaborates, “working with Heather’s about looking at where you are now and where you want to be. You see the gap and you see the small steps between your present situation and your goal. Once you start working on those little steps, the gap closes, and you suddenly have more time to make changes in your life. Heather asks all the right questions and change develops.”
Time Blocking
To break that down a bit: the first step Mark took was to tackle work problems that were mentally and physically taxing. Heather helped Mark set up systems, which now allow Mark steady, uninterrupted work time. For example, instead of constantly checking e-mail and responding right away, Mark now only checks e-mail three times a day. “If something’s important, someone will call me. If not, I’ll e-mail them back when it’s convenient for me. The increased time freed me up to think more deeply about projects and to work more effectively."
As things at work improved, Mark’s health problems reduced and he began to spend less time at work and less time recovering from work after he left the office.
Personal Life
With increased spare time and energy, Mark began looking at his personal life. He was living an expensive lifestyle and felt like he was working hard with little to show for it. Heather and Mark set up a budget and Mark began cutting out expensive habits like eating out for lunch on workdays. He also moved out of his costly downtown apartment in order to save a bit more on rent and to get rid of roommates!
Romance In the Air
With more time, energy and money, Mark saw another gap to fill in his personal life: this time in his love life. “I was able to focus more on what I wanted. I found someone great.” When prodded, modest Mark explains that he met his girlfriend at a New Year’s Eve party. “Before coaching, I probably wouldn’t even have gone to that party because I was so stressed out and tired.” Instead, the New Year brought more than a bit of champagne at midnight. Mark is now thinking about getting married.
Time For Hobbies
Mark also fills his newfound time pursing his hobbies. Cooking Lebanese food and experimenting with gluten-free recipes fill many an evening, but Mark still finds time to strum on the guitar.
Career
Playing the guitar and cooking are a far cry from obsessing over job stress, but Mark remains excited about work. He looks forward to working on projects that will see his company work together with international firms to take video game development further and to embrace important changes in the industry.
Coaching
Despite all the change he’s accomplished in his work and personal life, Mark doesn’t plan to abandon coaching any time soon. He likes that coaching forces him to reflect and to look at his life objectively. “I stay on track and I also am able to dedicate a full hour a week to look at my life. It’s never a waste of time.”
How Coaching Can Work For You
Heather’s approach works so that you get the most out of your session. Here’s a run down on Heather’s coaching method from Heather. (For more information, or to book a session, please visit www.emptyspacecoaching.com.)
The Process
Empty Space Coaching has a pretty simple process: they help you clear away what is standing in the way, reconnect to (or discover) what you love most and create and implement a sustainable, actionable plan for making change happen. For real.
The Structure
Heather and Jon offer one-on-one life coaching sessions, either in person (in Vancouver, BC) or by phone (worldwide). One to three times per month, you meet for 50 minutes. You set goals, you explore, you think big, you get inspired. Between sessions, you stay in touch by weekly e-mail check-ins so you always stay aligned with your agenda for your life.
Why People Get Coaches
If you have a great idea for a new business or creative project, ESC can help keep you inspired, focused and on track to manifest it. If you want to change jobs or careers, they can figure out what you want most and how to make it happen. If you’re going through a huge transition, we figure out how you want to turn the crisis into opportunity. If your life is way out of whack, balance-wise, we will bring everything back into alignment, calm and clear. We can tighten up your time-management, organization and flow so that everything gets a whole lot cleaner and you have more time to focus on the big picture; epic, transformational stuff.
It’s time to dream big. No matter what brings you here, if you’re ready to change, then I’m here to help.
What Matters Most to You?
You are the expert on your own life. Only you can define what matters most for you, whether it is personal or financial success, your family, your art or your interests (or all of the above). Whatever it is, you define it. It is our job to help you create an outer life that reflects those inner values.
Do you want more space in your life? Contact Heather or Jon for a free consultation. You never know where the changes will take you!
Link to blog: http://emptyspaceblog.net/2009/06/coaching-case-study-marks-work-stress-woes/