subject: How to get an ‘A' In Personal Wellness [print this page] How to get an A' In Personal Wellness How to get an A' In Personal Wellness
When clients come to see me for the first time, I ask them what they are looking for and, almost always, the answer is I have to do something about my (weight, cholesterol, stress, etc)'. The comments that follow are usually the client's view about the difficulty of the situation, guilt feelings, low self esteem, busy lifestyle, failed diets and more.
The best first step? Make a list of what is working in your life, it is usually a lot longer than the list of what is not working, and the list of what is not working can be broken down even further (it is not the job that is the problem, it is 2 problematic colleagues, for example).
When we settle into a wellness action plan for the client, we do not define a path of development that all clients have to follow or achieve; we rather define a process for accountable, personalized learning that invigorates and brings out the best in us all.
One inspiration for this approach is a story from Ben Zander, conductor of the Boston Philharmonic and teacher at the New England Conservatory of Music. To unleash the creativity, potential and genius of his music students, he announces at the start of each academic year, "Each student in this class will get an A for the course, however, there is one requirement that you must fulfill to earn this grade: sometime in the next two weeks you must write me a letter dated next May, which begins with the words, Dear Mr. Zander, I got my A because,' and in this letter you are to tell, in as much detail as you can, the story of what will have happened to you by next May that is in line with this extraordinary grade." (The Art of Possibility, 2000, p. 27)*
The step of contacting the coach and finding out more about what he/she can do for you already merits the A' grade in talking the step to the growing, learning, positive attitude that accompanies just about any successful pursuit. Your answer to the question above helps you identify the strengths already present that will ensure your success.
