I was thinking about goals earlier today and the inner qualities we need to hold on to as we support ourselves moving forward.  Not everyone believes that ‘I can reach out for what I want’.  There’s a timely quote from the late Steve Jobs which helps in thinking about this issue:

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart, and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

(From an Address by Steve Jobs to a Stanford University Commencement Class on June 12 2005).

Obviously having the courage to follow your heart depends on: what stage you have reached in your life; what the people who depend on you think; your basic level of optimism.

A glass of water filled half way to the top

On top of those points there is the fact that different people see the same situation differently.  One person sees an opportunity, where another sees a threat.  The coach is only going to be able to work successfully with one of these people.