I Am

I AM


A few weeks back I had the opportunity to attend a workshop for coaches in New York City. The topic of the workshop was on the practice of coaching. Our presenter covered many aspects, from what it means to be a coach, to co-creating the coaching relationship with clients, to what surveys are showing about the effectiveness of the coach/client relationship on clients being able to move their life forward. At one point during a break in the presentation, two of the coaches present wrote the following two words on a flipchart that have stuck with me due to their impact. The words were simply “I AM”.
I AM was written in 3 distinct ways. In addition to the 2 words in quotes like I just did above, it was written in the form of an equation reading, “I + A = M”. When put back into equation form and using the words provided the equation reads, “Intention + Attention = Manifest”. To me that is a powerful equation.
Many of us have dreams of what we would like to accomplish. Often they are not easy to reach. However, while our abilities may sometimes keep us from reaching our dreams, I would offer that more times than not, it is more internally what is not inside of us than what is on the surface that holds us back. The surface or external can be learned. It may mean taking courses to learn skills that we do not have. It may also mean hours of practice to perfect our skill at a craft or activity. It may also require the realization that there may need to be perseverance to overcome obstacles, and there may not be immediate success on initial attempts. However, with time, commitment and practice, many of those initial obstacles one faces can be overcome.
However, only you are in control of the “I AM” portion of your life. You are the one who sets the “intention” of what it is you want to accomplish and to what it is you want to put focus on in your life. When I made the choice to move into coaching a few years back, I did so with the intention of being able to help others move their life forward, while at the same time realizing that in doing so, I too would get benefit from the concepts and methods I would learn. Once setting that intention, I learned ways I would have to focus my “attention”. In the beginning there were certification classes to take. As I became more experienced I learned that attention took the focus of such activities as networking with other coaches, doing the writing I do through such vehicles as a monthly newsletter and weekly blogs, and looking for opportunities to increase my knowledge through attending continuing education classes, conferences and readings. The combination of my “intentions” and my “attention” to detailed steps began to “manifest” itself in the form of working and succeeding with one to one clients, being an ambassador for the practice of coaching through leadership roles in my local coaching chapter and receiving positive feedback on the articles I had written from those who found them helpful and informative. The formula continues to hold true, as this year I look to add more aspects to my practice through the leading of support groups and combining my coaching with my expanding networking skills to be a resource of support for those in transition.
Even the most optimistic of us can have our times of discouragement, where we may lose our way and get down on our current life circumstances. However, remembering those two simple words “I AM”, and what is contained within them is a powerful tool for getting oneself back on track. Try it the next time when you want to “manifest” that which is important to you in your life.