Coaching Model: The ABC

A Coaching Model Created by Sherri Lukac
(Health Coach, UNITED STATES)

The foundation of my ABC Coaching Model is comprised of three sequential  stages:

1. Acknowledge
2. Breathe
3. Commit

Acknowledge

The first step in starting the ABC Coaching Model is to ACKNOWLEDGE, to admit the truth, existence or reality. As a coach, I will help my client to acknowledge and accept responsibility for their actions and to recognize their own power from within.  The first place to start is to acknowledge where the client is right now. Whether it is in a good place or not, it is what it is.  The next step is self awareness. Self-awareness begins with recognition of the clients’ self.  Truly  knowing yourself will help the client  decide in which direction they want to go.  Everyone has an uniqueness from within themselves. I will help the client recognize this uniqueness, so they can start to formulate their  values, beliefs and passions. This self awareness will  build clients’  self esteem and confidence.

To develop this self awareness in my clients, I will ask a series of questions:

• What do you want in life?
• Your strengths and weaknesses?
• What motivates you and makes you happy?
• What do you want to change?
• What achievements you have realized so far?
• Your important beliefs and values?
• How you see yourself as a person ?

Once the client acknowledges who they are, and what they want, they  can start to move forward and work on how to achieve their goals. start to formulate a plan to work on their future.

Next I will ask my clients to identify their accomplishments.  I will ask them to take a moment and recall the most important accomplishments in their life.  Acknowledging  past accomplishments will give the client the confidence to move in a positive direction from where they are now. When a client reflects on what they did well, how they succeeded, or the steps they took to reach a goal, they will find the inner strength from within to motivate them to thrive again.  By helping my client remember what they did well and how they felt will give them the motivation to succeed again.

Next let’s explore the clients’ passions. Having a passion and knowing what you love, what excites you might help them alleviate the anxiety and stress of their problems. When a person identifies their passions and starts to incorporate these interests into their lives, it will become easier to achieve their goals. This passion, which comes from within will eventually motivate them to continue to excel at what they are doing. When they realize what special talent or purpose they have in this world, they will hopefully discover how truly unique  they are, and how much value they add to life.

By helping my clients acknowledge their  accomplishments and passions, hopefully they can reframe their perspective and look forward to  a brighter future. 

Breathe

The second step in this coaching process is to BREATHE. After my clients have acknowledged their present state,  I will have them take a deep  breath to facilitate accepting  their  current position. This breathing process will help clients focus their minds to be okay with their present state. By taking deep breaths and paying attention to their breathing, their bodies will begin to relax and they will be able to bring clarity and insight into their lives.  Deep breathing can release stress and provide numerous health benefits.  As a result, my clients will likely feel calmer after performing deep breathing exercises and may trade feelings of anger or fear for a focused, relaxed state of mind.

Being present is what we experience when we are completely at peace with this moment.. Being present is a time frame we should  all choose to focus on.. Being present begins with breathing.

After realizing the clients’ present state, I will work to achieve their peace of mind. Peace of mind is when there is a state of calmness, happiness, better concentration, inner strength and a heightened state of awareness. Everyone seeks peace of mind but how do they get there?

Peace of mind is achievable but it requires that that the client do  something to clear the clutter.

To find this peace, they must quiet the mind and look within themselves to find the answers that are aligned with their values and principles.

Next they need to balance their  mind and body. To do this the client needs to incorporate healthy routines to bring balance and alignment to the mind and body. A balanced mind combines intellect and emotion equally. In order to move forward the mind and body needs to function at a stable level so they can live a happier, successful life.

To achieve a healthy mind and body I will encourage my clients to follow these simple routines:

• Forgive yourself, then others
• Take a few breaths when you feel stressed
• Take responsibility for your actions and don’t blame others
• Read inspiring quotes
• Exercise daily and drink water
• Nourish your body and get plenty of sleep
• Be grateful
• Smile and laugh more

By breathing and calming their state of mind,  clients can experience clearer thinking , which will help them succeed in their goal-setting process.

Commit

The final step is to COMMIT.  Commit to take action and move forward. Action is what is needed to see growth and can be a sequence of steps that must be taken, or activities that must be performed for a goal to succeed.  I will help my clients commit to an  action plan that will help them  to move forward.

To further initiate this action plan, they need to set goals in line with their values and beliefs. First, their goals need to be aligned with their beliefs and passions. Second, goals need to be specific while simple, written down and looked at daily. Achieving these goals requires this daily routine, thus establishing a pattern in their brains that will help them change this behavior.

I will use a simple acronym to help clients achieve this daily routine: DAILY:

1. Dedicate: Dedicate the time needed to succeed
2. Action:: Make an action plan that is realistic
3. Initiate:  Initiate the inner strength and self awareness needed to stay on track
4. Love:: Start every day with an abundance of love
5. Yes: Say yes to committing the tasks needed daily to complete your goals

By committing to a set of daily goals, habits will be developed to keep  clients in track with their agreed upon path.

So, on this method of Acknowledging, Breathing and Committing, I will help my clients achieve the pace of their adventure. This ABC coaching model will  help me sequence my discussions with clients  to establish  first a point of departure,  second a state of  emotional balance by deep breathing  and  finally assistance in  developing a clear action plan of  life improvement.