Shine a little science on your day.
Posted on March 01, 2012 by Christopher Spaulding PhD, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
Use a little positivity every day. How can the science of positive psychology inform the art of life coaching.
A burgeoning field of scientific inquiry is establishing that: (i) to a previously unrealized degree your level of happiness in under your control (ii) there are reliable scientific tools which can be used to raise your level of happiness and (iii) changing your level of happiness can make you more resilient, more successful at fulfilling your goals and both physically and mentally healthier.
A life coach who focuses on positive psychology places emphasis on “what’s right" in your life and crafts methods to approach those goals utilizing your innate strengths, passions and gifts. This approach differs markedly from strategies like therapy which focuses on correcting “what’s wrong” and on helping to develop “avoidance” behaviors. The primary goal of a life coach is to help every person unleash their true potential and fulfill their true promise.
Research has shown that it takes around three positive comments/thoughts/events to overcome the effect of a single negative comment/thought/event. This has a profound effect on the way a coach should think about and frame powerful questioning.
One prime example is to reframe one of the most basic coaching questions from “what problems have you dealt with since last session?” to “what good things have happened since the last session?” or “what successes have you had since last session?”
The research also would imply that it is a great idea to start session with jokes, positive visualizations or gratitude exercises.
Have clients reframe their visions from “avoiding negative” to “striving for positive.” A simple example is instead of have a client focusing on “not being so shy” they should try to work on “being more assertive” Instead of “not being late”, “being the first”. These ideas are simple and subtle but extremely powerful when applied in the coaching realm.
You will probably even notice a bump in your own happiness and efficacy when adding a little positivity science into your practice, and we all know that is a fantastic thing. Have a nice day
Dr Spaulding is a former research scientist, educator, strategy consultant and options trader. Currently he is a certified professional coach specializing in the application of positive psychology. You can find out more at his practice site: www.valleyforgecoaching.com.
