Self-Coaching - Simple Steps to Change Your Life (and Your Teens' Too!)

The Self-Coaching Model

This self-coaching model was developed by Brooke Castillo, who describes it as a “law of nature. It’s a way of categorizing everything that happens to you in the world. It’s an intentional slowing down of your thought process to understand what’s driving the results we get in our lives in order to be more intentional.

It’s made up of 5 interrelated “buckets” or “categories”

Circumstances – a completely neutral fact; can be proven in a court of law Thoughts – a sentence that happens in your mind; always comes from a circumstance; interpretations of facts; can vary greatly from person to person Feelings – always caused by thoughts; emotions; cause physical vibrations in the body Actions – always prompted by feelings; an act that one consciously wills – may be characterized by physical or mental activity; can be inaction too Results – always caused by actions; always tied directly to original thought; a consequence, outcome, or effect

It is a mathematical equation.

The Self-Coaching Model Process

The Unintentional Model:

Step 1 – Do a thought download on whatever issue/problem/worry you’re dealing with. Use a computer or traditional pen and paper for your brain dump.

Step 2 – Evaluate your notes, determining which are neutral facts and which are your thoughts

Step 3 – Choose one of the thoughts to run through the model, and put it in the Thought line of a blank, unintentional model.

Step 4 – Write down the neutral fact you’re having that thought about in the Circumstance line of the model.

Step 5 - Identify the strongest emotion you are feeling – the one that you feel in your body.  Write it in the Feelings line. (If there’s more than one, do separate models for each.)

Step 5 – Write the actions you take (or don't take) when you feel that emotion in the Action line.  

Step 6 – Now fill in the Result you get when you take that action

Step 7 – Identify the connection between the Result and your original Thought.

The Intentional Self-Coaching Model:

The brain has a desire to prove your thoughts and beliefs “right.” Whatever you are focused on, your brain is activated to look for “evidence.” It’s a subconscious level of awareness that you turn on with your thoughts.

It’s important to work through unintentional models and understand the role you play in your results. Then, you can create an intentional model to affect change. Here’s what that looks like.

Step 1 – Start with the same circumstance as in your Unintentional Model

Step 2 – Plug in any of the other 4 (Thought, Feeling, Action, Result) that you’d RATHER have.

Step 3 – Build out the model from there, filling in the rest of the categories (Thought, Feeling, Action, Result).

It’s all about a mindset shift – changing your thinking to change your life.

The Coach

Diane Lynn is a certified Positive Psychology Coach and soon to be certified Life and Weight Loss Coach from The Life Coach School founded by Brooke Castillo.  Diane climbed the corporate ladder for 30+ years in Marketing and Analytics but found what made her happiest was managing and mentoring people.  Now launching her own business, Diane Lynn Coaching, she’s excited to use her experience and training to help others solve problems, get unstuck and achieve their dreams. 

For links to the resources mentioned in this episode, head to theishgirl.com/ep56