When a client is struggling with something and they have no idea why, one way I like to play is to zoom out and approach it from two divergent perspectives: One perspective is Action:Are they actually doing the thing ?Are they putting in the necessary time and attention?Do they know what system they currently have in place, which is creating the results they’re getting?Are they getting into the medium and experimenting, to learn from experience not concept?Are they focusing on taking action,...

In a recent coaching session a client was blessing their ambitious goals with ‘inshallah’ (if Allah wills it). And ‘Deo volente’ (God willing) has been woven into my thinking through Stoicism. I love the power of being all in and going for something amazing, while simultaneously embracing whatever happens.Sometimes it works.Sometimes it falls apart.Sometimes it takes an unexpected turn, maybe just after you start or maybe just before you thought it would end. A doubtless and powerful focus,...

I was working with a client recently on creating time blocks for creating more focus in his work. It’s not exactly a groundbreaking idea, and we had talked Cal Newport’s Deep Work before, but he admitted that he hadn’t actually tried it yet. He was worried about being too rigid – i.e. too consistent, too structured — the scary story of self-discipline becoming a prison. Here’s the metaphor that I gave him: when you consciously create your routines (vs trying to mimic what someone else does or...