Next week I’ll be exhibiting at the Better Business Expo in Bicester alongside a range of small-medium-sized companies all focused on doing good in the world.

I’ll be rubbing shoulders with sustainable delivery firms, mental health advocates, social enterprises, circular furniture importers, ethical undie makers, and of course…Tesla.

Hosted at the UK’s first Passivhaus+ workspace, all we’re connected by the belief that doing well can go hand-in-hand with doing good.

So, it got me thinking about the role that coaching plays in making our planet a better place.

The role of coaching in life legacy

Through coaching, we discover our unique selves. We design our lives and careers to bring the best of us to the world. We build emotional intelligence, allowing for greater compassion towards others and increased inner peace for ourselves. We let go of unhealthy habits and beliefs that don’t serve us or our environments. And we develop new habits and beliefs that allow us to move forward in ways that are fulfilling and life-affirming. Perhaps even enabling us to create the legacy we wish to leave when we eventually depart.

A job, a career, or a calling?

It reminds me of the story of a discussion that was once held with a group of cleaners at a hospital. They were asked: Do you have a job, a career, or a calling? Surprisingly, the responses varied significantly among people who performed the exact same job. Some viewed their work as nothing more than a means to earn a wage, going through the motions and watching the clock until they could go home. Whereas others connected their role to the broader mission of the hospital, seeing themselves as integral members of the hospital staff, responsible for creating safe and clean environments that enabled the medical staff to heal others.

For the cleaners who viewed their work as a job, coaching could be used to either help shift the mindset towards being able to recognise and embrace the meaning that comes with their work, or it could be used to help them find a new role that would better bring them a sense of meaning. Either way, through coaching, the conditions (inner and/or outer) are created for a more fulfilling life, that will have ripple effects on all those connected.

Finding your purpose

What needs to shift for you so that you’re not only doing well, but also doing good – for you, for your friends, family and colleagues, and for the world at large?

Drop me a line if you’d like to explore the possibilities that coaching can bring.

Until next time,

Sarah.