From the Deep

In my last post, I described one reason why I coach gifted people and parents of gifted children (which, let’s face it, are generally gifted people themselves. And yes, moms, that does include you; your children aren’t just gifted because of their fathers. If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard that one…Anyways, I’m now going to simplify my life and your reading by referring to gifted people and parents of gifted children as “gifted people.” Now, back to our not-so-regularly-scheduled blog post). It’s a word called entelechy, which is the drive to self-actualize, and you can read here how this characteristic of gifted people makes them prime coaching clients.

Closely related to entelechy is another reason life coaching works well for gifted people: fulfillment. Fulfillment is one of three life coaching principles. It involves discovering one’s values, which in coaching lingo means that which makes you uniquely you. When we live according to our values, we feel resonance, that feeling that all is right with the world. For example, if we value authenticity, we’ll feel alive when we’re in relationships and circumstances that allow us to be our full selves and to speak our truth. Even when we’re in difficult situations, we’ll feel energized if we’re expressing our values in them.

On the flip side, when we don’t live in line with our values, we feel dissonance. Energy drains from us, and we don’t feel fulfilled. We might even begin to feel dead inside. For example, if we value authenticity, but we’re in an intimate relationship, work setting, or social situation where we feel the need to hide parts of ourselves, we feel less alive.

Fulfillment is closely related to entelechy. Entelechy is the drive to self-actualize, and fulfillment is a vehicle for getting there.

Because fulfillment is a basic principle of life coaching, gifted people naturally make wonderful coaching clients. Gifted people have strong inner compasses full of values. They often wish to use their gifts for the betterment of the world. They possess a strong sense of justice and morality. They are empathetic. They also frequently hold values of curiosity, deep connection with others like them, wacky humor, creativity, challenge, playfulness, and solitude, among others. (You can look at My Ginormous List of Gifted Grownup Traits to find more values gifted people hold.)

Gifted people adhere to their values very strongly (do we do anything halfway?). In fact, we frequently cannot not live our values! Sometimes we do this unconsciously. We don’t know what our values are, yet we feel compelled to speak and behave in certain ways. Life coaching can help gifted people become conscious of their unique set of values and find ways to live them out in all areas of their lives: family, friendships, work, fun and recreation, and health, among others. By exploring what makes them come alive, a process that naturally brings most gifted people resonance, gifted people can create lives that bring them energy and allow them to make their unique contribution to the world.

If you’re interested in learning more about this, please contact me, and inquire about my complimentary thirty-minute session for potential clients. I’d love to help you explore your own set of values and find fulfillment in every area of your life!

©2010 Lisa Lauffer

If you look at my Twitter profile, you’ll see I’m Chief Sanity Officer for Gifted Grownups & Parents of Gifted Children. What does this mean? First of all, gifted people and parents of gifted children can lead crazy lives with so many abilities, so many interests, and so little time. Gifted people and their parents need some sanity!

But how do I offer it to them? I offer it through life coaching. Life coaching is a relationship developed between a client and coach to help the client discover his/her unique identity and purpose. You can read more about life coaching on the What Is Life Coaching page on my website.

Why coach gifted grownups and parents of gifted kids? While some may think I’ve chosen a crazy, narrow niche for my coaching practice, I’ve found that the gifted profile makes gifted people and their parents particularly good coaching clients. In this post and in many that will follow, I will share why I find this to be true.

The first reason I believe life coaching works well for gifted people has to do with our word for the day (we gifted people love to learn new words): entelechy. Entelechy is the drive toward self-actualization, and most gifted people possess it in truckloads. How many times have parents of gifted children said “I just want him/her to reach his/her potential”? Many gifted people of all ages feel this push. Deidre V. Lovecky, Ph.D, posits that entelechy is one of five traits present in gifted people (you can read her article “Can You Hear the Flower Sing?” in this Dynamic Living blog post).

This characteristic of gifted people is one reason life coaching serves them well. Life coaching helps people discover who they were created to be and what they were created to do. It gives them a place to develop and implement concrete expressions of their unique identity and purpose. It’s about clients discerning their potential and figuring out how to maximize it and use it in life. Parents of gifted children can benefit from life coaching too. It helps them discern what they uniquely have to offer their children to help those kids reach their potential.

If you’re feeling the push-pull of entelechy on your being, please contact me about a thirty-minute complimentary coaching call. It’s my purpose to help you discover yours!

©2010 Lisa Lauffer