Kingstown College Coaching Magazine vol.5 2019/2020

80 Coaching Magazine Vol.5
I’m no longer held back
by that crippling belief
that everything - in
this case, beginning
my coaching practise -
has to be exactly right
before I begin.
held back by that crippling belief that
everything - in this case, beginning my
coaching practise - has to be exactly right
before I begin. I’m setting up a business,
not launching astronauts into space -
that actually does require a certain level
of perfect precision. With coaching, it’s
better to have a website we can change
and improve over time, than no website
at all. It’s better to get moving, than stand
frozen in decision-making over the colour
of our logo; we can coach without one.
Starting our business / practise / career
/ freelance side-job is not a moment in
time, but rather an on-going process that
will constantly change, adapt and grow as
it develops.
Some things may work, others might not,
and things may need fine-tuning as we get
experience. Taking a ‘trial and correction’
approach rather than a ‘trial and error’
approach, means we can get going and
start our coaching career from where we
are now, rather than a perfect point in
the future when all the stars are aligned
(because they rarely are.)
We don’t look at a toddler who can’t walk
on the first attempt as a failure. We see it
as a naturally progressing work in progress
and offer constant support
and encouragement. As coaches, we know
from goal setting that identifying what we
want, helps us design the path to get there.
We need to also remember, that the path
is also full of valuable lessons. Apparently
99% of the time planes are in the air, they
are off course. Yet the pilots know their
destination and their job is to constantly
course correct to get there, adapting to
weather, air currents, and flight paths.
As founder of Amazon Reid Hoffman
famously cites, “If you aren’t embarrassed
by the first version of your product, you
shipped too late.”
The point is, just begin. Now. As you
are. You’ll never be ‘ready’ but making
mistakes and learning from them, being
proactive in your success rather than
reactive means you’ll get there sooner. As
coaches we know how easily we can be
limited by beliefs that aren’t necessarily
true - as practitioners we need to identify
them in ourselves, and work to overcome
them. One of the benefits of becoming a
coach through a supported programme
like Kingstown College, is that there is
no shortage of mentors, teachers and
peers to help coach you on your coaching
business journey.
So go, grasp your new certification and
begin. Coach and make a difference
to people’s lives. As Mary Kay Ash, a
revolutionary and iconic businesswoman
said, “If you think you can, you can. And if
you think you can’t, you’re right.”
Alana Kirk
Alana Kirk works words for a living, as a campaign writer for the non-profit sector, as a journalist, and as a coach. Her bestselling memoir, The
Sandwich Years dealt with love, loss, dying and living. Her curiosity for people’s lives, and helping to tell their story has been the cornerstone of
her career, from her work with UNICIF in countries such as Iraq and Sierre Leone, and then with Barnardos, to the everyday stories and subjects
she covers as a freelance journalist for the UK and Irish media. She is currently working on her second non-fiction book, The MidLife Manual,
and practises as The MidLife Coach. She lives in Dublin with her three young daughters and a menagerie of animals.
www.alanakirk.com
www.themidlifecoach.org