HAPPY NEW YOU FOR 2008
To celebrate the publication of our 2008 journal, free with this month’s issue, Psychologies has teamed up with Life Clubs founder Nina Grunfeld to offer readers the chance to attend a Life Club session for half price during January.
The philosophy behind these weekly workshops is based on a similar principle to slimming clubs, ‘helping people to help people’. Every week, you set goals, note your achievements and enjoy ever-changing topics and discussions. By working with other ‘clubbers’, you will be inspired to make your already-good life better.
Psychologies Summer 2007
Tried and Tested: Life Coaching
Each month we investigate the best therapies on offer.
I guess it was a culmination of events that led to last year’s winter blues being worse than normal- a few of my close friends emigrated and I was living on my own for the very first time. I was also starting to question whether I was fulfilled at work and what I could do to make a difference, if at all. These uncertainties were becoming a constant source of anxiety and I worried that it was affecting my health.
The idea of therapy felt too extreme, but life coaching looked like it might be right for me, and I arranged a session with the founder of Life Clubs, Nina Grunfeld. I was apprehensive, but also curious – would I have to reveal lots of intimate details, would I have to lie on a couch, would she be able to provide me instant answers?
Luckily, there wasn’t a couch in sight, and it was very relaxed. We began by chatting about what I wanted to get out of coaching, how I felt about certain aspects of my social life and career and what made me happy. The discussion then moved on to my childhood – family holidays, special moments such as birthdays and time spent with friends. This was to try and work out what was important to me, what made me happy and more importantly what motivated me. She wrote down key words and, from that, we compiled a list of aspects of my life where I could make instant changes, with a particular focus on goal setting. Nina suggested that I set myself three different goals a week. This has been a real breakthrough, as it’s helped me realise that more structure and definition helps me identify what areas I need to address.
Nina explained that looking at my personality type might explain why I had been feeling so stuck. After our preliminary conversations, we concluded that I have a low boredom threshold and am constantly planning what to do next, even before I’ve finished with what I am doing at the time. This inevitably leads to disappointment – from work, relationships – even friends, as I am never happy just living in the moment. Understanding this has given me a new perspective on my particular issues, such as how my frustration with long term projects could be holding me back. It’s not something I can completely change, but I now recognise that I don’t need to make dramatic gestures in order to be fulfilled.
In an hour I learnt a huge amount from Nina, but the most important thing was the realisation that I wasn’t totally lost. Having someone show me processes and tools to question my decisions was vital, but it was even more reassuring to know that I could rely on myself for answers.
After my first session, I returned for a group workshop in which I learned more about my personality type. I’m going to carry on seeing Nina, as, although I have more clarity and direction, it’s helpful to carry on talking about some of the specific decisions I’d like to make. I hope these changes will bring me the happiness and fulfillment I’ve been looking for.