| The
Provocative Proposition.
These gifts define the heroic version of who we are as individuals.
They represent the best of who we are capable of becoming and the
deepest, most authentic version of ourselves. The act of embracing
our gifts - of provoking our own greatness - is the essence of The
Provocative Proposition.
Conversely, the hero in us can be threatened or in retreat. When
we are threatened, a distorted version of who we are may also become
the main character in our story. In this alternate story, our hero
struggles and the outcome is in doubt.
When the hero is in retreat, the story is laced with tension. It
becomes the time-honored myth of the lost birthright, and the unfolding
story becomes a quest for mastery, the rediscovery of lost gifts
and the capacity for using the power of the gifts to respond to
the challenges ahead. Claiming and using one's gifts is The Provocative
Proposition.
The story is both a blend of fiction and inner truth and becomes
our own personal mythology. Its plot and sub-plots are written by
actual events and experiences - and yet represent only one version
of the truth interpreted by our personal point-of-view. The process
of coaching is to explore the story without getting lost in its
details - and open up the truth to other interpretations.
One of the key tasks of the coach is to help the client appreciate
the story while also accepting that it is only one version of reality.
When told in the first-person, the story's fictional elements are
difficult to grasp. The individual and the story are one and the
same.
When reexamined from a third-person perspective, new interpretations
and possibilities emerge. The coach is the initial impetus for introducing
the third-person perspective. Ultimately, the client also appreciates
the third-person perspective and becomes less inclined to regard
the original story as "the truth;" rather, he or she comes
to realize that the story he or she has constructed is only one
way of understanding the past. The coach helps to shine a light
on the clients' internal reality so that they can separate themselves
from their story. At that point, the individual discovers the capacity
to move the narrative in new directions and to reclaim his or her
gifts.
Focusing on the story allows the coach to facilitate greater learning.
The client is able to transform himself or herself by transforming
the inner reality. The coach helps the client pay attention to his
or her internal experience, cultivate mindfulness, introduce new
assessments and possibilities about the kind of person he or she
chooses to be as new chapters are added to the story.
As this transformation evolves, the now more mindful person dictates
the story rather than the (past-based) story dictating to the person.
The character is active instead of passive. The person is then able
to achieve a balance between need, opportunity and the capacity
to make decisions about the most appropriate action to take, the
gifts needed to take it and any additional capabilities the individual
needs to acquire.
As a result, the client assumes full responsibility for pursuing
his or her development goals.
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