During challenges, I draw on my sense of courage. This courage comes from my immigrant roots, the resilience of my refugee parents, and the strength of my survivor story. I have built a great amount of confidence and success through this belief in myself – not blind, reckless action; it is the belief that I will get back up after I have fallen down. This assurance in me reminds me that mistakes are opportunities to learn, that through challenges, I grow.
Courage and confidence go hand in hand, and even in today’s dynamic world, we can agree that confidence will take us far. As a coach, I harness this belief in others, and I reflect for my clients what they have accomplished so they, too, can tap into their own confidence.
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We work with a low volume, high intensity client base.
Nothing both bums me out and inspires me more than listening to someone who is so capable, so deserving, yet feels so incapable and unworthy. The young people I work with and the leaders I coach remind me how often we forget to recognize the small steps, the moments we show up, the actions we have taken so far. When we make a mistake, a misstep, those moments are not to run away or cower; those are moments to pause, reflect, and move forward with more insight, more perspective, and a head held higher. Waking up the next day and getting out of bed after a hard day prior, going to work and showing up when you’re not feeling 100%, going on a date after a difficult relationship – these are all examples of courage, and they should be recognized.
As a coach, I remind young people that they are capable and put systems in place to be their own source of strength. Often, the school system sets up students with steps until they graduate and face a world that doesn’t have standardized benchmarks. This world can be difficult to navigate, swimming in an ocean without direction. Nothing gets me more motivated and inspired than reminding young people who they already are…
That is the art of coaching, which is the power of courage.
I teach a college counseling course for parents and students. Check out a preview of the course, linked here.