Living the Masteries

Living the Masteries is a regular column where we invite coaches to share their experiences of Living the Masteries in their everyday lives. As we become aware of the Masteries and really understand and use them, we realise just how powerful they are and how, used effectively, they can truly make a lasting difference to the world.

This month, Alison Davis and Alberto J. Calderón explore Mastery #7—Helping the Client Set and Keep Clear Intentions, and how it can be applied to our everyday lives.

As we saw when we explored Mastery #6—Clarifying, the complexity of life can mean that we end up feeling confused and uncertain about where to go next. There is so much choice available to us today that we may not even be sure about what we want. Mastery 6 often works hand in hand with Mastery 7, as we first need to clarify in order to identify what our intentions are and to make sure they are the right ones for us.

For example, many of us regularly feel physical pain, mental stress, emotional upset and spiritual disconnection, but is this what we want in our lives? I don’t meet many people who actively intend this, but they very often end up feeling this way. They don’t realize that very often they are unwittingly creating this in their lives, because they are not clear about their intentions.

So before we set out in pursuit of our goals, it is important to pause in order to clarify what we really want, what our values are, who we really want to be and how we want to feel. Once we have identified our values, it helps us to explore how we might align our lives with those values. As we focus on the actions we need to take, a vision of what we intend is gradually revealed to us and even our purpose can become clear.

Mastery 7 is about setting and keeping clear intentions and it also helps us check that our intentions are the right ones and even to modify our plans en route. If we are to be successful, we must reassess our plans and intentions as new events happen and situations evolve. This mastery helps us to take action, move forward and stay focused on our chosen goals or vision.

I like this mastery because it encourages us to value and develop our own abilities, resources and talents. It invites us to make decisions and choices, and to develop our mental, emotional and spiritual intelligence. It encourages us to connect to our sources of energy, and to cultivate important virtues like order, discipline, courage and diligence.

I have used Mastery 7 to help myself move forward when I felt stuck; to get involved in new ventures and to explore new cultures. I’ve seen others penetrate new markets, improve their sports performance, move up in an organization or improve their romantic or family relationships thanks to coaching and the application of this mastery.

Setting the right intentions and keeping them maintains our forward motion, helps us feel capable and ensures our transformation into someone bigger, better and more resourceful. I find this enables people to express confidence in themselves, in the progress they are making and in the actions they are taking. Living out Mastery 7 allows people to feel that they are taking responsibility for their own lives.

When my clients tell me about a goal they want to achieve, I use Mastery 7 to help them make sure that it is the right goal and make a clear decision to go for it. Even when they are experiencing confusion or doubt about the present, this process enables them to become clear about the future they are going towards, the changes they need to make, the new responsibilities they need to step into, and the patterns that will not serve them on their journey towards their goal. All this gives them hope for a better future.

I invite you to pause and think about the way you set and keep clear intentions, and decide whether your intentions are indeed the right intentions! Here are a few questions to get help you get started:

What do I want to accomplish or transform?
Is that what I really want?
Am I hesitant about this intention?
Is this intention realistic?
What really matters to me?
What is really important to me?
Am I making an assumption here—should I check it out?
What resources are available to me (tools, books, assessments etc) that might help me to clarify my intentions?
Is this need still valid?
Are my values still the same?
Is this in line with my values?
What are the possibilities and how do I feel about them?
Am I making good progress?
Is there another way forward?
Am I feeling empowered and capable?
Am I excited about this new direction or this fresh approach?

This is your column. It can only continue if you share your experiences of Living the Masteries. Would you be willing to share some of the notes you have taken as you read this column, to share how you were inspired to see new possibilities for yourself and your life or how you helped others to do this? Please send us your stories—you will inspire others. By your sharing and by talking about the Masteries, we create an echo chamber where their power takes on new meaning in the world.

Send your contributions to Alison alisondaviscoaching@gmail.com so she can share them for you in the Living the Masteries column in the VOICE each month.

Alberto J. Calderón, MCS, PCC, OC, MBA, doctorate (Social Anthropology) is the President of MORE Global, CCS-Comunidad de Coaching Sistémico and the IAC Chapter of Mexico. Alberto is a coach, consultant, teacher, trainer, researcher and life learner, seeking to improve personal evolution, the productivity of organizations and quality of life. www.morecoach.com

Alison Davis, IAC-CC, is a certifying examiner at the IAC, coach, mentor coach and founder of the IAC–licensed virtual coaching school Foundations for Living. Discover more at www.alisondavis.typepad.com.