No 2. They Are Scared To Try Mental performance Coaching

Clients often come to me saying they have taken a while to take the plunge because they are scared, either they didn’t know what to expect, they were worried I would think there was something wrong with them or they thought they may not really need help.

It’s understandable that clients might be wary of something that they don’t understand and often the concern is that I will ‘mess with their head’.

I was in this same position once, but I now know that being scared to come is exactly the reason to come to see a mental performance professional.  Often the worries are because of previous experiences or something someone once said which fuels a repeating negative internal dialogue, for example they believe they will never be good enough or that they can only reach a certain level.

My initial concern is to support new clients and ensure they feel welcome and at ease in my company.  For me successful outcomes are achieved because the client feels a connection in our relationship; that they are heard, quite often clients will say;

“The very fact that you truly listen to me helps”.

I use a framework; I call the Mental Strength Triangle of which the components are:

Emotional Balance

Motivation

Focus

A traumatic experience, nerves and anxiety all upset emotional balance, so we often start here as it makes up the base of the triangle.  Motivation is underpinned by a person’s beliefs and values so we also consider the ‘why’ which will reveal the drivers, often unhelpful beliefs limit achievement.  Finally, focus is achieved by knowing exactly what is to be achieved and in this area we look at goals and process.  When all these elements support one another, we can achieve ‘flow’ or be in ‘the zone’ where the only thing that matters is now.

So being scared is a reason to try mental performance coaching.

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