In the 1984 movie Gremlins you may recall there were 3 rules to take good care of the cute little mogwai named Gizmo: do not expose it to light, especially sunlight, which will kill it; do not let it come in contact with water; and above all, never feed it after midnight. Gizmo was a cute, cuddly little creature UNLESS you broke the rules. If you did, it became an ugly hideous creature. The most significant impact of coach school on me personally has been embracing the concept of the INNER CRITIC & SELF COACHING and how it can be VERY MUCH like Gizmo in the movie Gremlins—-it depends on what you feed it!!
I first attended Coach school to improve my communication with my consultants in my direct selling business. I thought that improved communication would directly impact the results my consultants achieved. While that is true, I didn’t realize how important my INWARD communication impacted how I showed up in the world and ultimately how it impacted nearly every detail of my life. At my first Coach school I observed the facilitator doing a role playing dialogue and kept hearing the coach-ing questions she was asking as critical and offensive. I raised my hand and asked, “How come when you’re asking coaching questions, I hear criticism?” Thankfully, that facilitator spoke with me at the break and, ever so gently, shared that when you hear questions as being critical and offensive it’s typically because you have an INNER critic going on! That was a hard pill to swallow and yet I knew that that inner critic was the ugly hideous Gremlin residing in my thought process and I was determined to learn how to feed it differently. By attending DSWA Coach Excellence® School Express and then the Advanced School and finally going through the certification process I gradually saw my inner critic not just being silenced but learning and putting into practice Empowering & Powerful Questions, Heart-Centered Listening, ICU Acknowledgment, Agreed Action & Accountability, and Compassionate Feedback as a part of who I BE! The changes were noticeable enough that my husband asked me, “Do you think that that Coach school thing would help me?” (yes, he used the word HELP–lol). I’m happy to share that he’s gone through Coach Express a couple of times with me and our heightened INNER communication through improved self-coaching has also benefited us OUTWARDLY— as a couple, as parents of adult children and as grandparents! How awesome it is to witness beautiful results in the lives of others when you feed them positive and empowering thoughts and words!
Recently I was hospitalized with bilateral viral pneumonia during a time period when visitors weren’t allowed to see you! I was in ICU for 8 days and the doctors didn’t know if I would make it or not. Let me tell you how well self-coaching served me. By habit I would ask myself questions like “Who can I positively impact today with my smile or a kind word?” “What is one thing I’m grateful for today?” When I was in a not-so-good place health-wise, the doctor told my husband that she saw patients go one of two paths at this critical juncture—– they either tanked or rebounded— and it depended MOSTLY on their thought process! It depended on what they were being fed! My husband rallied the troops and instructed the children and grandchildren that EVERY FaceTime had to be positive and uplifting and filled with things they looked forward to doing with me when I got out of the hospital and with God’s promises. Those things fed my inner being and allowed me to focus on empowering thoughts to support me in my healing process. I’m thankful God spared my life. I’m certain that He wants me to continue to impact the lives of those who cross my path with what I feed them.
Just like in the movie Gremlins there are some rules to take good care of ourselves and positively self-coaching the inner critic is, in my opinion, the most important rule to follow! This training and owning these skills will significantly impact your life. Enjoy the transformation!
Written By:
Mary Gronholz, DSWA Certified Coach
Mary Gronholz is a wife, mother to 2, mother-in-love to 2, Gaga to 2, leader of a direct selling organization and coach. She is passionate about living out loud and living out her priorities in life. Together with her husband Scott, they are especially passionate about bringing the Coach approach to their family and organization and watching the ripple effect it causes in the world!