Dear Subscriber First Name

Last week, we talked about how shifting the conversation to the benefits of Schema Coaching makes it far easier to explain.

We moved from "what's a schema?" to addressing real-world problems like burnout, overfunctioning and perfectionism.

Well the other thing I often get asked is -

"Just how bloody powerful are these schemas anyway?!"

Are they really that important, relevant, and powerful that you'd centre a whole coaching program around them?

I thought this might be a cool way to consider things, so allow me to indulge you for a moment…..

Suppose I offered you a million dollars to speak in a French accent for 24 hours (assuming you're not French!).

But first some ground rules:

I’m going to be your minder, following you around ALL day to make sure you don't drop your French accent - when you eat, work and play - I'm going to be with you everywhere.

One slip up - gone. No cool million :(

Challenge Accepted!

So you give it a crack. How might you feel to begin with?

Weird? A bit silly? Nervous? Maybe eager & determined? (it's a million bucks!).

Certainly out of character though right? 

As motivated as you might start out to conquer such a challenge, I imagine it could become tiring too, going about your busy day speaking in only a French accent - working with colleagues, going to the gym or your favourite café, socialising with the people in your life this way.

It’s strange just thinking about isn’t it?

They say -

“Old habits die hard!”

So what could accidently happen without you noticing? If maybe you became….

…..or just caught off guard?

Could it all accidently come undone and see you slip back into your everyday speaking voice??!

Let’s say you’ve kept your dedication and concentration to your inner Gabriele Gate or Edith Piaf.

Nice job - keep it up Frenchie!

The day kicks along, and your minder (me), suddenly tells you he has to step away for a moment, leaving you unattended to do what you like…. to speak freely perhaps?

What do you think you might do?

A chance for a breather….

Old habits remember?

I probably don’t need to convince you that it’s difficult to go ‘against’ our natural urges - it’s what we know and feels ‘right’.

Doing things differently, like speaking in a French accent, is quite literally ‘foreign’ - which can feel bloody uncomfortable.

So just how powerful and influential are these schemas?

Consider this: I just offered you a life-changing sum of money, and yet the pull of your pre-existing schemas would still likely win out, making it incredibly difficult to create permanent change even if you desperately wanted to!

We might tell ourselves we want to be more productive or get that difficult task done, but the ingrained patterns of thought - like schemas relating to impossibly high standards or seeking validation or kudos, pull us back to old behaviors like putting it off entirely to avoid potential failure and disappointment.

But that's where Schema Coaching is so very different -

It addresses the deep-seated challenges that other coaching programs don't.

Schema Coaching is that minder who, instead of judging you, is there to help you learn, practice, and stick at these new behaviours until doing things the new way feels natural, not foreign… or French!

Merci!

Wanna learn more French?

You can reach me below, or simply hit reply and I’ll reach out to you:

• Visit the website / Book a call 📱

• tim@schemacoaching.com.au 📧

Looking forward to connecting!