'Green Tea Latte'
There you have it: The answer to all your personal coaching questions, issues, and roadblocks. I suggest you get one, savor it, and then sit back as solutions start unfolding in your head.
It's the secret magical elixir of personal coaching.
This past week, I was trapped in over-thinking a business strategy decision that resulted in missing three self-imposed deadlines. I took over-thinking some of the details to new heights (or depths, as it were) never before seen by humankind.
When I finally realized just how stuck I had become, I shut the laptop, grabbed my car keys and headed to Starbucks to clear my head. I have a routine that I follow (same Starbucks, same parking spot, same beverage, and same corner table for almost 15 years).
As I stood in line blissfully thinking of nothing (since that is what routine allows for), one of the painfully-pierced and artfully-tattooed staff members offered me a taste of something different - a green tea latte. I liked it and decided to order it. My usual seat was taken, so I had to sit at the counter in the window and I was faced with a disruption of routine.
It felt odd - I was out of sorts - and I had to stay in the moment because the experience was not routine.
As I sipped this new beverage from a different location, my mind started thinking about the business decision I was trying to make. Half way through the green tea latte, a new perspective about the issue came to me. As clear as could be, I saw the risks and benefits in a way that unlocked what I needed in order to move ahead.
And just like that, I was unstuck....clearly, it was something in the green tea latte. Or, was it as simple as a break in a routine that created the place for new perspectives to emerge?
Routine can be a good thing, especially in times of great stress. But in times of great STUCK, routine might be the exact thing that you need to break free from.
This week, change things up a bit. Don't over-think this idea or look at it too grandly, just a simple change of routine.
Do just one little thing this week that will push you a bit out of your comfort zone and force you to be 'in the moment' for a while.
Oh, and it couldn't hurt if you combine it with sipping a green tea latte. (just in case my theory has substance)
