When John lost his job, coaching helped him find a new path.

It is no secret that we were never meant to do life in isolation. The roots of isolation can run deep, and discovering those roots can be a challenge. John was one of those people who did not understand the power of relationship when he was faced with losing his job and he could not comprehend how the lack of relationship may have contributed to this obstacle. John’s lack of confidence, stamina, and just the overall motivation to learn was linked to the few significant relationships in his life. Eventually, the fruit of this lack of capacity to connect left his employer no choice but to tell John that it was time to find something new.

John had a hard time expressing not only his needs, but connecting with his emotions. His response to difficulty was usually, “I’m just not good at this,” or “What’s the point?” He felt hopeless in his endeavors because he didn’t see the purpose. He had no goals. No vision. No motivation.

When John finally decided to “dig” into the reasons for his tendency to isolate, he took the first step toward self-discovery. He never learned to solve real-life problems any other way than retreating into a back room, avoiding conflict and not connecting with his family.  His response to life was to let things happen, rather than make things happen.

Through the coaching process, John discovered that he didn’t have to allow his past to define him.  Part of his discovery process was finding people in his life who were in his corner and wanted to support him. Once he had the bond of strong relationships, he was able to advocate for himself in getting a new job with higher pay, began to initiate interactions with friends, and even started to embrace the loss of his job and use it to move forward.  Through the insights he gained working with a personal development coach, he started to realize that he was developing the character traits to make things happen.   

We were never meant to do life alone.  Isolation can lead to obstacles that impact many areas of our lives.  Engaging with a coach can be the first step toward developing healthy relational growth.