“I had this big decision that needed unravelling, I couldn’t think straight from the pressure, so much was riding on making the right decision.”
A strong lingering sense of underachievement was driving a need to make a bold, disruptive life decision. Bal was giving little recognition to how well professionally he & partner were doing, their thriving family & comfortable lifestyle; the story was they were ‘underperforming.’
Goal: Find Clarity & Ease in Uncertain Times
Intense urgency arrived in our early sessions. The urgency was driven by a need to plan the exact date the family were to move abroad. The challenge that came with this move were complex, made greater still by an invisible pressure to move quickly, not because a great opportunity existed, but because of an assumption, the family were not hitting performance targets.
With life and work not meeting performance targets, the only option appeared to be make a bold life decision, move job, home & country.
Coaching.
There were several significant moments of self-discovery for Bal that allowed him to make crucial changes to how he approached the move:
Life Proforma: When uncovering the driver for moving the family abroad we discovered how much was tangled up it was in expectation of how life should be at his age: wealth, health, job title, relationships were defined by a hidden proforma of how it should be.
Blinkered Mindset: There was only one option on the table, move country, make that move as soon as possible (even with COVID restictions in place). We unpacked what else could happen;
Ask for a partnershinp in current employer’s business
Set up a business on their own
Not work & try out short term rentals in several locations to find out if living abroad is for them
Reframing Goal: In changing the interpretation of the goal we landed on a desire to ‘find more adventure in life. With this reset came a huge relief from the pressure of knowing what the next move needed to be. Now it was about exploring, being curious and discovering what could be.
RESULT
Exciting Opportunities Emerged: In becoming more curious and asking what else, exciting discussions have opened up;
Relocating his bosses current business to new territories being headed up by Bal became a option.
Job offer: A supplier has opened up discussions relating to a possible partnership
Not work: Bal’s savings could allow for the family not to work for a year & test out if living abroad suits them
Challenging the black and white view of the goal removed the pressure for this family and opportunity has opened up for them and each time we have a session, more opportunities emerge.
“Coaching challenged my black and white thinking and it has opened conversations I never even imagined. The move is still an option, but the future is now evolving as I chat to more people about how it could work for us and them.”