Not advice but coaching helped me with breakthroughs: Coach Archana Sudhir

 had my first experience of being coached in July 2020. I was going through a rough phase in my life, with a close family member in an ailing health condition and a challenging environment at home with home-schooling because of the lockdown due to COVID. I used to feel miserable and defeated. I could not identify with my purpose or strengths.

I was taking responsibility for everything around me and felt quite overwhelmed.

I had tried asking for help from family and friends. The sheer amount of advice drowned me and made me feel hopeless. I didn't even want to follow the advice as it did not resonate with me. The downside of advice is that the adviser always follows up to check if you have implemented their precious inputs and there is no polite way of declining it :).

I was acquainted with an ACC-certified coach for a long time and finally decided to give coaching a try. And man! That change was magical! The coach built trust and held me in a safe space while challenging my limiting beliefs and working with me to establish my values, strengths, and purpose. This gave me a sense of anchoring and helped me focus my mind on things I had control over. The coach made me think really hard (which can be rare in my day-to-day busy life by asking powerful questions.

The coach was fine with me being uncomfortable during this process (which I really appreciate). I had a couple of meltdowns too. But what was surprising was I could gather strength after the meltdown and come back stronger. I just engaged with the coach for 4 sessions. Yet, it made a huge difference to the way I was operating.

During the process, I also identified that my strengths were relationships and empathy. And through another mentor, I got to know about coach certification and started my journey as a professional life and leadership coach. I strongly believe life is a gift and everyone must strive to get the best out of this precious present. Identifying one's strengths, values, and purpose will help establish the tree of life that one can rely on. It also brings clarity and helps us to be motivated in everything we do.

I have been there where I used to operate on a sub-optimal level in a victim mode. I was getting caught up in the nitty gritty or lacking purpose and clarity. That is when I decided to walk this path of growing self-awareness and mindset shift. I strongly believe in making a difference in others’ lives. I want to help others too, who are willing and committed to achieving their full potential. I want to savour the joy of creating transformations. And I believe coaching is a powerful tool to accomplish this dream.

Archana Sudhir is a life and leadership coach. She can be reached via her website.