positive Life 2-4

4.4 Assignment. Assessing Your First Coaching Session

Getting Started In Workshop Three, you conducted your first life coaching session using the questions from your Welcome Packet and the empowering questions you developed reflecting the eight categories.

In this assignment, you will do an in-depth analysis of your coaching session using concepts learned earlier in this course. The purpose of this analysis is two-fold: 1) to gain clarity about your coaching subject’s needs and wants in preparation for your second and final coaching session in Workshop Five and 2) to assess your own coaching approach and make any desired adjustments in preparation for the second coaching session.

Upon successful completion of this assignment, you will be able to:

· Analyze the needs of the coaching subject and of the coaching approach.

Background Information

This assessment of your first coaching session is perhaps the most important task of these coaching sessions. It is your opportunity to step back and take an objective look at how the session unfolded, what you did well, what you would like to change, and where you want to go with the next coaching session. If you made mistakes, don’t despair. These are designed as practice sessions and the only way to improve a new skill is to repeatedly practice. Learn from any mistakes you might have made and make the necessary corrections as you approach your second coaching session in Workshop Five.

Instructions

1. Read Chapter 11 in your textbook,  Becoming a Professional Life Coach: Lessons from the Institute for Life Coach Training.

2. Watch the YouTube video “Top 10 Coaching Mistakes”:

3. In a four- to five-page paper, respond in detail to the following:

a. What are your coaching client’s expressed primary needs/desires?

b. What are your coaching client’s expressed primary obstacles/struggles?

c. What are your coaching client’s limiting beliefs about themselves?

d. What stage of change (Stages of Change theory) is the coaching client in at this point as it relates to the main behavioral change they want to realize?

e. What do you still need clarity on with your coaching client in order to help them create an action plan?

f. What concepts of positive psychology would you like to emphasize more?

g. What did you think you did well in the coaching session?

h. What adjustments would you like to make in your coaching approach in the next coaching session?

3.2 Discussion: Reporting on Gratitude Delivery

Getting Started

In Workshop Two, Assignment 2.2, you were to write a letter of gratitude to a living person and then personally deliver it to them by means of face-to-face contact, a phone call, or a virtual contact, such as Facetime or Google Hangouts. The goal was to help you experientially see the power of gratitude from both perspectives: giving it to another person and seeing how it is received. That power behind gratitude is why it is considered one of the pillar concepts of positive psychology.

In this discussion, you will share your experience with the class: how writing, delivering, and responding to this exercise in gratitude has affected you.

Upon successful completion of this discussion, you will be able to:

· Describe the experience of delivering a message of gratitude to a person of significance.

Background Information

When responding to the discussion questions, provide detail in your responses to help others see the depth of the experience. This is especially important in the last three questions because it helps others understand what the experience meant to you as well as the person you expressed gratitude toward. Feel free to expand on the experience to inspire others to incorporate more gratitude into their daily lives.

Instructions

1. Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.

2. Read Chapter 6 in your textbook,  Becoming a Professional Life Coach: Lessons from the Institute for Life Coach Training.

3. Read the article,  13 Most Popular Gratitude Exercises & Activities (new tab) .

4. Navigate to the discussion topic and respond to the following discussion prompts:

a. Who is the person you contacted?

b. What is your relationship with her or him?

c. Summarize in a few sentences what you are most grateful for about this person.

d. How did expressing gratitude to this individual in a personal way affect you?

e. How did this individual respond to your expression of gratitude?

f. Based on this exercise, do you agree or disagree with this statement: “I want to incorporate more gratitude into my life”? Explain.

5. Your initial post:

a. Should be between 400 and 500 words.

b. Is due by the end of the fourth day of the workshop.

6. Read and respond to at least two of your classmates’ postings, as well as instructor follow-up questions directed to you, by the end of the workshop.

7. Your postings should also:

a. Be well developed by providing clear answers with evidence of critical thinking.

b. Add greater depth to the discussion by introducing new ideas.

c. Provide clarification to classmates’ questions and provide insight into the discussion.

d. Be posted on three different days during the workshop.

4.1 Discussion.Energy Drainers - What's Most Important

Getting Started

In this workshop, you will learn about keeping first things first so you can be focused, successful, and not distracted by energy drainers.

If we review what the Bible has to say about what is most important to God and in life, we’d most likely remind ourselves of what Jesus said in response to this question posed to him in the Gospel of Matthew:

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” ( New International Version, 1978/2011, Matthew 22:36–40)

These verses are clear about what Jesus thought was central to life and of the highest priority: love of God and loving others as we love ourselves. We really can’t have one without the other. We must demonstrate our love of God by loving others. And it is challenging to love others in a healthy, helpful way if we don’t have a love for ourselves and for God.

In this devotion and course, you will continue to explore key lessons from these verses and other biblical references regarding priorities in your own life and as life coaches.

Upon successful completion of this discussion, you will be able to:

· Share your thoughts on biblical principles related to life priorities.

· Identify ways in which practicing biblical principles can serve others in your role as a life coach.

Background Information

Identifying, focusing on, and living by top priorities in life is essential to experiencing success personally and for helping others as a life coach. As with many biblical living principles, positive psychology and popular leadership principles reinforce this truth. Another one of the key habits that Stephen Covey discovered and wrote about in his book  7 Habits of Highly Effective People is what he referred to as “First Things First.”

Covey and others have explained this concept of prioritization and putting first things first with a visual illustration. Imagine that a large, empty glass container, a bowl of sand, and several large rocks sit on a table. Your challenge is to fit all the rocks and sand into the container. If you put the sand (which symbolizes minor or small priorities or distractions in life) in the container (your limited amount of time in life) first, the large rocks (or major life priorities) won’t fit. But, if you place the rocks in the glass container first (put first things or the most important things first in your life), then the sand will fall in around the rocks; everything is balanced and fits more naturally into your life.

This is the hope, adventure, and goal in our personal lives and as coaches—to find a healthy balance in life built on a solid foundation of love of God, self, and others.

Instructions

1. Navigate to the discussion topic and respond to the following prompts:

a. Review Matthew 22:36–40 and describe which of the three “loves” (God, self, or others) is most challenging for you to experience and practice in your life.

b. Share your thoughts on what might need to be prioritized differently in your life.

c. How can you help others, in your role as a helper and life coach, to review their lives based on these verses in Matthew?

2. Your postings should also:

a. Be well developed by providing clear answers with evidence of critical thinking.

b. Add greater depth to the discussion by introducing new ideas.

4.5 Assignment. Wheel of Life Assessment

Getting Started

In Chapter 9 of your textbook, the authors expose you to a common coaching tool called the Wheel of Life. The Wheel of Life is a simple but powerful tool that helps you visualize all the important areas of your life at once. Life coaches and career coaches often use it to give their clients a “bird's eye” view of their lives. By giving you a visual representation of all the areas of your life at once, the wheel helps you to better understand which of your life areas are flourishing and which ones need the most work.

So, in a concise way, the Wheel of Life is a picture of your life—both as it is now and as you’d like it to be. Each area of your life is one spoke of the wheel.

When you’ve completed the assessment, it will show you how much time and attention you’re  actually giving to each of the ten dimensions on the wheel. In other words, what we say we value is not always where we put our best time and attention. Place a mark on each spoke that reflects the actual time and attention you spend working in that area. The closer to the middle you make the mark on a given spoke, the more attention that area might need if it’s important to you.

Now connect the dots in the ten dimensions you’ve made on your diagram. Your initial responses in the online tool are your stated values. The dots you placed on each dimension reflects the actual time and attention you give to that particular area. As you compare the value you place and the actual time spent on these areas, do you see any areas that are out of balance?

Remember, different dimensions will need more or less attention at different times in your life, so there’s no one right answer. The goal is not to make a perfect circle, but to think about how much attention you’d like to give to each part of your life. So plot your ideal scores on the diagram and visualize how things could be for you.

Upon successful completion of this assignment, you will be able to:

· Assess the differences between stated values and actual time and attention spent on select values.

Background Information

This Wheel of Life exercise is a free, brief online assessment that will take about a minute to complete. Just click the button to start your wheel and the interactive system will guide you through the process of rating each area of your life, one at a time. When you are done, print your wheel because you will need a hard copy to complete the paper described below.

Instructions

1. Read Chapter 9 in your textbook,  Becoming a Professional Life Coach: Lessons from the Institute for Life Coach Training.

2. Access  The Ultimate Wheel of Life Interactive Assessment (new tab) .

a. Complete the assessment once for how you perceive you attend to each area and once for how you would like to attend to each area.

b. After each round, print out your wheel.

3. After you’ve completed both rounds of the interactive assessment, respond to the following in a three- to four-page paper:

a. How do your stated values compare with the actual time and attention you give to those areas? Are there any imbalances? Explain them in detail.

b. Choose one area that you would like to work on in the coming weeks and create a goal to give more time and attention to that area. Explain the area, why it is weak, and how you intend to be more deliberate about working on that one area. Be concrete by stating a measurable goal.

c. How could you use this tool in a coaching situation with a coaching client?

d. What principles of positive psychology seem to be inherent in this particular model?

2.1 Discussion.Agents of Change

Getting Started

In this workshop, you will discuss what it means to be an agent of change, but in this assignment, we’ll look at what Scripture says about transformation and your role in supporting change.

When I think about being or becoming an agent of change, I think about what is referred to as the “One Another Concepts” in the Bible. You will find verses like these, for example, throughout Scripture:

· “ Accept one another , then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God” (Romans 15:7).

· “ Be kind and compassionate to one another , forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).

· “A new command I give you:  Love one another . As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34).

· “ Be devoted to one another  in brotherly love.  Honor one another above yourselves ” (Romans 12:10).

· “ Live in harmony with one another . Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited” (Romans 12:16).

Can you imagine what life, what our culture and world would be like if we could consistently practice these One Another Concepts as agents of change in our relationships with family members, work colleagues, and even in our coaching practices?

Upon successful completion of this discussion, you will be able to:

· Share your thoughts on biblical concepts related to becoming agents of change.

· Explore ways in which practicing One Another Concepts as a life coach can help others.

Background Information

Change, as you have most likely experienced, does not come easily. Facilitating change in others can be even more challenging. In my own experience, there have been points in life where I felt significant transformation; when I became a Christian, for example, my entire worldview and perspective shifted. But I quickly realized that some of my habits, personality quirks, and negative emotions weren’t changing as much as I had hoped.

I found, however, that by applying biblical principles like the One Another Concepts (which are in many cases also proven to be effective by positive psychology research), I have seen remarkable change over time in my own life and in those I have worked with in counseling and coaching situations.

Whether my clients were attempting to deepen their connections with others, discover and follow through on their vocational passions, or even set a simple goal of stepping outside their homes after years of agoraphobic isolation, I was witness to incredible transformation over time and with focused effort.

I have often said that if I could compress the years it took to realize change in my life, or in the lives others I work with, into a single moment, it would seem like a miracle took place. We can see overnight success, but it will likely take ten years.

Instructions

1. Navigate to the discussion topic and respond to the following prompts:

a. Give an example of how you have applied biblical principles like the One Another Concepts in your life and relationships.

b. Describe a transformation that you have seen in your life or as an agent of change in someone else’s life and how that change happened.

2. Your postings should also:

a. Be well developed by providing clear answers with evidence of critical thinking.

b. Add greater depth to the discussion by introducing new ideas.

4.3 Assignment. Capstone Creative Implementation Plan

This is the third course where you have been working to define and shape your Capstone Project. You outlined your project in PSY 561, refined it in PSY 562 and received peer feedback on ways you could still improve it earlier in this course. Now, you need to finalize your plan. This paper will serve as the blueprint for what you will implement in the next course, PSY 590.

Provide at least one paragraph in response to each of the following questions:

1. Detailed description of your Capstone Project.

2. Who is/are the person(s) you are targeting for the Capstone Project?

3. What is the main benefit you intend to provide to your target audience through your Capstone Project?

4. How do you intend to deliver and ensure that your target audience derives this benefit?

5. What main principle or theory from positive psychology are you emphasizing in your Capstone Project?

6. How will this principle from positive psychology be explicitly demonstrated in your project?

7. Explain the timeline that you will need in order to fully implement your project. In other words, how much time is needed from the start of the project to the finish? Detail the actual steps you will take to implement the entire project from start to finish.

8. What logistical items need to be attended to before you are able to begin implementing your intended Capstone Project? This would include: a) securing the individual(s) involved; b) securing a location for the project; c) any preparations that are needed prior to implementation (such as research, funding, permissions, acquiring video or audio tools, etc.); d) any other logical items or resources that need to be acquired or attended to. Be specific and provide approximate dates for when you intend to have these logical items in place.

3.3 Assignment. PERMA and Purpose

Getting Started In Chapter 8 of the textbook, the authors focus on the power of having a life purpose. In coaching, that is one, if not the most important, idea you could help your coaching clients clarify. Many people today are not clear on what their life purpose is.

Positive psychology has something significant to say about this. You may remember it from the previous course when we referred to it by the acronym PERMA:

· Positive emotion—increasing positive emotions, which includes happiness but also includes more

· Engagement

· Relationships—developing deep and meaningful relationships

· Meaning—finding meaning and purpose in our lives

· Accomplishment—achieving our goals by recognizing, developing, and applying our strengths and talents

Upon successful completion of this assignment, you will be able to:

· Construct a life purpose statement from questions used in a potential life coaching session.

Background Information

Martin Seligman, the father of positive psychology, believes that these five elements form the base for having a life purpose. When a person is deliberately pursuing them, Seligman would say they are  flourishing.

In this assignment, you will apply these five PERMA categories to life coaching.

Read the following scenario and then respond to the questions that follow:

Ricardo is a 45-year-old male who has worked for his father in the construction industry for the past 20 years. He has become increasingly unhappy in his job and wants to work toward another career. But he doesn’t know exactly what he would like to do and is concerned that switching careers at this point would not enable him to make the income he currently has to support a family of six.

Your task is to help Ricardo develop a life purpose statement by asking him pointed questions.

Instructions

1. Read Chapter 8 in your textbook,  Becoming a Professional Life Coach: Lessons from the Institute for Life Coach Training.

2. Watch the YouTube video Purpose and Life From Title: TEDTalks: Rick Warren—Living a Life of Purpose “Purpose and Life”:

3. In a three- to four-page paper, respond to the following:

a. In addition to Meaning, which of the other PERMA factors would you focus on to help Ricardo begin to explore his purpose as he moves forward with his life? Explain.

b. Develop at least eight questions (one from each of the eight categories below) used in Assignment 2.4 that might help Ricardo gain insight and clarity into his larger purpose. Follow each question with a rationale of why you would choose that question and how you would use it. Here are the eight categories of questions:

i. Probing

ii. Clarifying

iii. Goal-related

iv. Expanding

v. Support

vi. Action

vii. Possibility

viii. Emotional

c. Finally, develop a tightly worded paragraph that states an example of what Ricardo’s purpose statement might be after your coaching session with him. You can take some liberty here since it is not an actual conversation you are having with a person. But, make sure that the purpose statement is congruent with the scenario and the questions you posted to gain clarity.