January blog – reflections on 2021!
“So this is Christmas and what have you done?
Another year over, a new one just begun ”
Do you ask yourself that question around this time of year? It’s easy to answer it quickly without really taking time to think and remember in detail. Recently during an online meet up with the Centre 10 Coaches Hub we were encouraged to do a ‘mindful’ review of 2021. Taking the time to write down our year divided into quarters, we answered these 4 specific questions on each 3 month period.
1. What did I appreciate most from this period?
2. Where did I have the most impact? (as a coach, but could mean something else relevant to you)
3. What did I do well that I’d like to reinforce?
4. What would I do differently if I did it again?
It took some deep thought and a look back at my diary to remind myself of what was going on at different times of the year… my memory is definitely not that good! Some of my first thoughts were that I couldn’t believe it was only a year ago that I was challenging myself to do some things that felt so far out of my comfort zone that I struggled to do them at the time and now, although I wouldn’t find them easy, I don’t feel so overwhelmed by them.
Some answers to question 1 (what did I appreciate) were…
· Support from Centre 10 and other Coaches online – there are some great FB groups out there
· Meeting clients again face to face and getting their feedback – it was really good to see people
· Friends – getting back to some kind of socialising, however limited was good
· Team effort of people around me to make our goals successful – our little team of people all helping to support each other made it possible to achieve great things
Question 2 (where was the most impact) produced varied answers as things changed with restrictions coming and going
· There were some great sessions online talking with clients ‘off horse’
· FB Live sessions also produced some great interactions
· Face to face sessions combined with online chats were great to improve rider confidence
Question 3 – I always struggle to answer what I did well without having a nagging thought of what could be better! That is like most of us, isn’t it?
I tried to focus on the good first! What Went Well?
· I pushed myself to do more than I was comfortable with and succeeded in going online more including FB Live!
· I took time to plan and think about how my coaching sessions could have more impact.
· I’d like to reinforce the learning I have done surrounding coaching practices and really translate that to my clients getting more from me.
· During 2022 I would love to bring the mindset element into my regular coaching in a subtle and easy to follow way. I have ideas…..What this space!
Questions 4 was actually a tricky one to answer for me in the end. After saying I would easily think of things I do wrong or not so well, it’s not that easy to say how I would do them differently. That is the million dollar question really. If I knew the answer to that, I would have nothing but wall - to - wall success in 2022! Here are some of thoughts I had about it …
· Some things could not be done differently at the time as my choices or resources were limited. We were all a little frustrated at times and not always free to do what we wanted.
· I think I could have been braver at times and more optimistic to make plans rather than wait to make plans.
· I have a cautious type of nature which can lead to me doing nothing until I’m more certain. That can result in me missing out on some opportunities when I try to catch up and there is a time lag.
· A good example of that is when lockdown rules changed and then trying to organise clinics and things with little notice.
· I would like to try making a small adjustment to my mindset/outlook – plan for the best and have a contingency rather than wait to plan at all.
During our Coaches group, we then when on to talk to each other about our insights from what we had written. Was there anything we learned about ourselves? Anything surprising? Have we overcome anything? There were lots of talking points which were so interesting. I can only discuss mine of course.
I guess my first reaction if I was asked what I did in 2021 would be ‘not a lot!’
That would not be true at all, but I know some of that is due to not taking the time to recall or remember specific events or details. It takes a little time and something to jog the memory, like a diary, so that we can re-live those times. We can then remember how we were feeling, what was going on for us at the time and fully appreciate the effort we made.
When I took the time to do a ‘mindful review’ it was clear to see I actually achieved a lot in 2021 despite the challenges we all faced.
I studied more because I had the time and became an Advanced Centre 10 Coach working with Charlie Unwin and his team as well as a Testt ® Certified Coach after studying with Andy Thomas. It’s been an interesting journey full of learning, growing and meeting people (although mostly virtually) My main hope for 2022 is that I can put that knowledge to best use and grow further as a coach and a person.
If you would like to take the time to review 2021 in a ‘mindful’ way I am sure you will be surprised at how much you have done and what resilience and strength you have found along the way.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to my year and been a part of it. It’s been a pleasure! Here’s to a great 2022 for everyone!