Folks,

When you see a park bench, what do you see?

If you’re tired, you might see the chance to sit down. Maybe it’s the place you sit and watch the world from. Or, perhaps it’s the place where you first learned to vault.

How we show up is important.

Tired? Take a seat. In a reflective mood? No problem, watch the world go by. Full of energy? First, try jumping off it, then maybe we can try vaulting from it.

Context matters.

So, too, are our goals, and how we think we can achieve them.

Dan John talks about park bench and bus bench workouts. Bus bench workouts chase metrics: how far, how much, and how fast. Park bench workouts are about enjoying your body moving, being present, and being grateful for the opportunity to move and grow.

Much of what we perceive is shaped by hidden assumptions.

Will sitting on a bus bench get you further than sitting on a park bench? Then again, if you can vault off a park bench, just maybe, you begin to see a park bench and a bus bench as the same thing —an opportunity.

What do you think you see?

And this brings me to coaching. 

It’s always worth doing the work to understand what people are seeing, hearing, and feeling in their environment.

You never know when you might find yourself pushing on a door that needs to be pulled.

Here’s to a great week. 

Simon

P.S. I’m going to leave you with this: Silence is coaching. It’s not easy, and it feels counterintuitive, but it’s a keeper.