We live in a society that is too afraid to tell the truth because it might offend someone. Coaches mustn’t dare to tell their players that they can do better because it might hurt their feelings. After all, it’s all about having fun. Winning doesn’t matter. Right? Teachers can end up in deep water if they reprimand children for doing the wrong thing because it might scar them for life! It’s about being “nice” to our children. Right?
I beg to differ. Life is not always fun. It throws challenges our way at regular intervals. We need to be able to beat the odds and implement resilience. We need to win! If we don’t, we end up giving up! We can’t tell our circumstances to back off and to stop offending us. There is no pause and delete button in real life.
It’s all about the “reason” behind why a coach, a teacher or a parent will be brutally honest with those in their care. When reprimand and critique is done for any other reason than out of love, it is better left unsaid. What we need too understand that there is more to life than just the physical side of it.
So many people are suffering from depression and self-doubt, because they were either never told the brutal truth, or they weren’t willing to listen to it. If you are a Christian, you will know what I am talking about. God sent His Holy Spirit to be with us and to encourage us – and that’s exactly what a coach should do. But He also convicts us of things that aren’t right in our lives. That’s what a coach does. He doesn’t only talk about the nice stuff, but also about the things that are standing in our way and preventing us from reaching our full potential.
The thing you might not know is that we are all coaches. We all have a circle of influence. And if you truly care about others, you will never only talk about the nice stuff. And if you still believe that you aren’t a coach, hear this – you are a coach to yourself. Everyday, in our minds, we either encourage ourselves or become over critical of ourselves. The secret to becoming all that God has created you to be is to find a balance between the two. Don’t avoid being critical of yourself when it is needed, but also encourage yourself and know that you are great.
Absolute proof, in my life of what I have just shared is found in the link below:
It’s a short video one of my ex students made about me, and sent to me. At the time I was her teacher, she didn’t particularly like some of the things I told her about herself. But she realised it was done out of love and it made her a better person. Have a look at it. It might help you to realise that being coachable is essential in making you more resilient. And that being a true coach, will help others to become all they were created to be.
Have an amazing day.
Mark Davidson
