Learning how to G.R.O.W - PART 1

Around this time of year, as the days get a little lighter and signs of Spring are peeping above the ground, we have a unique opportunity to ask ourselves the powerful question, what do I want?  It might sound like a simple question but dig a little deeper and you may find it surprisingly hard to answer. What do you want, truly?  Superficially, we could answer with something quick, easy, and tangible, such as a cup of tea or a biscuit. Then we might step into the optimistic or opportunistic, a sports car or trip to Bali would be nice.  Then slowly it might dawn on us that what we truly want is more of a feeling, a sense of purpose or meaning that creeps over us and makes our eyes sparkle bright.   

Sir John Whitmore knew all of this when he formulated his world-famous coaching model GROW in the mind 1980s.  He saw the advantages that tennis coaches gave their players and the winning formula woven out of knowing what you want and going in to get it.  He studied the 1974 book, The Inner Game of Tennis, and soon devised the GROW model to expand the wisdom of sports coaching into the everyday lives of people and the businesses they run.

What is GROW? 

G         - Goal (What do you want?) THIS ARTICLE

R          - Reality (Where are you now?) See next

O         - Options (What could you do?) See next

W         - Will (What will you do?) See next

Essentially, coaching is all about unlocking a person’s potential to maximise their outcome.  The word unlocking here is interesting, as it suggests that without a plan, and a specific goal, we’re locked and unable to move forward or grow as we could.

So, for the next four weeks, we’re going to take a good hard look at what you want within the framework of GROW so that by the Summer you’ll be ready to grab the year by the horns and achieve exactly what you want to! 

Let’s begin with your goal.  In the GROW way, goals are set out as two distinct aims, ultimate goals, the long-term BIG picture, and performance goals, the small, or even tiny steps you can make to achieve the ultimate or dream goals.  Imagine for example your ultimate goal is to lose 2 stone in weight. It’s going to take a huge amount of commitment and discipline to reach that goal, let alone time. So, making a performance goal that divides that ultimate goal up into more manageable chucks, certain weight loss targets per week for example, makes the whole thing far more manageable, and therefore achievable.

My recommendation this week is to give yourself time to sit with the question, what do I want?  Write down everything that pops into your mind, from the sublime to the ridiculous.  Jot it all down until you can’t think of anything more and then ask yourself again, what do I want? Keep doing this, feel into everything you notice and write it all down.  Then step away for a while, take a break so that when you return with fresh eyes you might find some things that jump out at you. You may notice a theme or pattern emerge.  Highlight these, and bundle them into groups, travel, health or fun for example. Then finally, when you’re ready set your heart and mind on one, two or three goals that feel the most important to you. 

Next time we’ll explore what to do next to help you achieve your goals and become the captain of your own destiny!  

“When I want to, I perform better than when I have to

I want to for me, I have to for you

Self-motivation is a matter of choice”

Sir John Whitmore