- Best Mate
What Is Life Coaching Actually Like? Part 2
We left it yesterday with the coach asking Neil about his running. Read on...
---
Neil: Me and running? Well, we've dated about 2 years now and it's started to get serious...ha ha. Sorry, I mean I've been running for a couple of years and found it really quite addictive. Not sure if that is the right word, but I get a buzz from it, a little bit while out running, but mostly afterwards, the sense of achievement. You can leave out that first comment if you like.
BMD: No, I'll leave it in if you don't mind, it's an interesting thought. But what do you mean by buzz?
Neil: Sure, that's fine, leave it in. So the buzz is just a feeling that you have achieved something, I guess on your own, just you against nature, the road, the pathway, whatever. It's just down to you, there's no-one else to blame if it goes wrong and no-one else to take the credit when you achieve. I hadn't thought about it before but I guess that's quite rare in this world.
BMD: Thanks, I understand a bit more now. What else is there?
Neil: What else? Er....well, I know it's good for me, from a burning calories point of view. I'm big into burning calories nowadays.
BMD: Burning calories? Tell me about that.
Neil: There's not much to it, really. I was massively overweight about 3 years ago, I decided to do something about it and burning calories was a big part of that. And it worked.
BMD: Massively overweight? Really?
Neil: Well, yeah, I felt that way, anyway. But let's not go there, that's history.
BMD: Absolutely, so back to the running. You said that it's good for you, then we went off about calories. But is it important that it's good for you?
Neil: Yeah, for sure. I want to be healthy. Fit and strong. It's who I want to be.
BMD: Wow, that's an amazing statement, saying that you understand who you want to be, I don't hear that very often, usually the opposite!
Neil: Thanks. Not sure I ever said that before, it just came out.
BMD: Even better, it means you're learning about yourself as we speak.
Neil: Hmm, maybe...
BMD: Anyway, you said healthy fit and strong. What will that mean to you?
Neil: I suppose that it will mean I'll be setting a good example to my kids.
BMD: OK, tell me more
Neil: I don't want to be that Dad, couch potato, lazy, no time or energy for my kids . I think that would be a bad example to set and would set them off in life with the wrong outlook.
BMD: OK, do you have experience of that?
Neil: No, not at all, really. I was a very active as a kid, played sports all the time. Loads of different sports, all through my school years and beyond. But, I was a fat kid. And not just a bit chubby, it was a problem.....
The rest of that avenue of the conversation has been cut at Neil's request. We rejoin the conversation several minutes later...
---
Come back tomorrow to see the conversation get back on track...