From My Future Self: Make the Most of Your Training

August 21, 2017 by John Andrew Williams

This week I’ve been reminded of the power of visualizing, sitting across from my future self and having coffee.

No matter how many times I’ve walked through this future self coaching exercise, there’s always something new and impactful for me in the present moment.

This time, it sparked these thoughts-if I was going through coach training all over again, what advice would my future self give me about making the most of it?

Here’s what I discovered:

1. Perspective. A pivotal part of launching into the coaching field is getting as much as possible out of the training experience. Put on that perspective and act out of it!

2. Align your expectations. Expect to learn and grow not only as a coach, but also personally. A beautiful part of becoming a coach is the impact the experience has on you as a client. As you practice being the coach and client, you will understand the dynamic from both perspectives, making you a more empathetic coach.

3. Plan ahead. Once you get access to the course materials, establish a system for completing your assignments. Look for your practice client(s) early! By having a plan, this will enable you to come prepared for each class ready to engage fully with your fellow coaches as well as with the material.

4. Be mindful. Each coach-in-training brings something unique to each class, but be aware of potential distractions. Spend less time taking notes-they can only capture so much; they can’t capture the in-the-moment experience!

5. Get a buddy. There is something so powerful about walking through an experience with a buddy, bouncing ideas off each other and building a relationship to be able to give each other honest feedback. Get a buddy and expect to grow as a coach and gain a friend.

6. Ask for more feedback. Do you want to know how you’re doing? Ask! Feedback will fuel you to be more aware in your coaching.

What advice would your future self give you to make the most out of your coach training experience? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

You may also enjoy these Future Self related posts:

• The History of the Future Self
• How to Leverage Your Future Self This Year
• Connected to Your Future Self: Correlation and Causality
• The Future Vision You Create
• The Past, Present, and Future Walked into a Bar. It was Tense.
• Future Self Party
• Looking Back from the Future
• Painting the Future with Today’s Brush
• It’s Your Future Self Calling with a Message
• The Future Vision You Create