Power Tool: Space vs. Pace

A Coaching Power Tool Created by Shannon Kiprich
(Life Coach, ESTONIA)

To help my clients bring about a new perspective about their situation, about themselves, others around them, or even their dreams I would like to help them shift from a Pace of Living to a Life of Space.

We have all experienced a time when we wish everything would just SLOW down!

I just need this time to catch my breath, to catch up on my work or even just to know what is actually going on!

Based on an experiment conducted first in the early 1990s and again in present-day, British Council researches found that in major cities the pace of life is now 10% faster;

the biggest changes were found in the Far East, with the pace of life in Guangzhou (China) increasing by over 20% and Singapore showing a 30% increase.

Faster places also tended to have higher rates of death from coronary heart disease, higher smoking rates.

But it does not take science to tell us that living a continual fast-paced life does not produce long term effective results.

In contrast, a branch of psychology called environmental psychology and creative architect Donald M. Rattner suggest that

Our mental space stands in direct proportion to our perception of physical space.

Possible Coaching scenario:

A middle-aged woman has just moved with her husband to her first overseas work post. They are now considered expats. After allowing herself a month of adjustments she realizes that she is overwhelmed with her situation; new culture, new identity, lack of responsibilities, inability to communicate effectively, lack of anything seemingly comfortable. In addition, her husband seems to be adjusting well because his job simply took him from one office to another; the surroundings in his office are very similar to what he moved from. The pace of life in this new place is very quick compared to the pace of life back in their home country. However, for the wife, her pace of life has slowed down tremendously because now she lacks the purpose to do anything besides make a house for her husband so she is living around his pace of life. She has lost herself in this movie. She seeks out an Expat Coach.

Questions to help facilitate perspective change:

• What is the current pace you are living in right now?
• How is this pace holding you back from being the best version of yourself?
• Does this pace allow you the space to be yourself?
• What is the pace you are most comfortable with?
• What does this pace of life include?
• Do you feel like you are living in a comfortable space?
• What is your mental space like at this point in time?
• What does your ideal space look like?
• How does this space contribute to you being the best version of yourself?
• What would you do in this ideal space?
• Is it possible to create this space here?