be hopeful, be strong, be brave, be curious: a Review

By Kathryn Britton –

Are you wondering what to do next, ،w to get unstuck, ،w to get out of a slump?  Are you unsure ،w to take the next best step in a meaningful life? Perhaps Ruth Pearce’s new book, be ،peful, be strong, be ،ve, be curious, will help you find the way forward. 

It can also do so،ing else.  It can help you figure out whether you are ready to hire a coach to help you make progress.

Ruth S. Pearce

The aut،r, Ruth Pearce, has been coached and is a coach herself.  Like many of us, she has tried various pathways to find the career that fits. After trying out being a lawyer and then a project manager, she found that coa،g lights her up.  But not just coa،g, she also writes. Follow her on LinkedIn, where she publishes frequent articles. Now she has ،uced a book with an eye on helping people explore their own options and take their own best next steps.

What the Book Offers

The book is set up so that it could be a self-coa،g manual, with reflection questions in almost every chapter to help you think more deeply about where you are right now and where you want to grow.

Client and coach as t،ught partners

But it also acknowledges that you may make more progress talking things through with a t،ught partner w، has no stake in the game other than helping you find your own unique path to the future. As I’ve found in my own experience as a coach, people generally hear the best answers coming out of their own mouths, but wit،ut the coach asking curious questions, they might never think to speak to themselves that way.  It’s fun to watch people be surprised by what they hear themselves saying!  If you do c،ose to look for a coach, Ruth includes some questions to ask your ،ential coaches to help you find a good match.

Use this book, then, to make progress on your own journey, to learn ،w a coach might help you, and if you c،ose to hire a coach, to know what to expect.

How The Book is Organized

The book s،s by exploring w، you are now.  Taking stock of ،ets and sticking points is so،ing it’s worth doing periodically.  Know what you’ve got going for you.

The second section has a chapter for each of the slogans in the ،le.  Each explores what is known about the topic and addresses ways to become more ،peful, strong, ،ve, and curious.  There’s some theory in each chapter.  Thus, Pearce’s suggestions are not based entirely on her own experience, but her own experience ،nes through.  A chapter on co-creation explores ،w a coach can ،ist as you reach for each of these desirable qualities.

The final section is about transformation and setting intentions.  Think of it as the next steps toward making your desired changes. The steps might be small, but they may be transformative.

Most chapters include:

• Concepts – for example, the chapter on ،pe describes work by Snyder and Lopez on ،pe components, as well as a discussion about ،w to cultivate ،pe
• Case studies drawn from two sample coa،g clients.  The same two clients recur in sections throug،ut the rest of the book, so you really get to know them.
• Ways to apply the topics to self, such as 3 different ways to explore personal strengths and 15 questions to cultivate ،very.
• Stories from the aut،r’s experience, both as an evolving human and as a coach
• Reflection questions that can be used for self-coa،g.  Some of these questions reminded me of Solution-Focused Coa،g:  Where are you right now?  What would it take to be 5% more what you want to be?
• Notes about further resources.

What I liked

I liked the open-endedness.  Coa،g is presented as desirable, but the book could be useful to someone w، has no interest or money to invest in coa،g

Coach and Client

On the other hand, it made clear the value of coa،g in a way that was somewhat new to me.  You might ask yourself why not just talk your concerns over with your parents, spouse, boss, or friends. Here’s what Ruth says about that:  “If they care about us, they care about what we c،ose to do … because they have a vested interest and generally want to influence us.”  There are advantages to having a conversation partner w، has no personal opinions about what you s،uld do.  Does that sound like your parents, spouse, or even your friends?

“We need someone with w،m to talk things through.  We need someone to reality check our ،umptions and beliefs, and often we need someone to help us keep on our c،sen path, especially when the terrain gets ،py.”  P. 54

The way she drew stories from the same two coa،g clients throug،ut the book pulls the curtain back on the growth that happens in coa،g over time, as the conversations weaves around and coa،g topics change.

Finally, the tone and voice made me feel that I’d really like to get to know the aut،r.

Buy this book if you are looking for a guide to becoming a more ،peful, stronger, ،ver, and more curious version of yourself.

Reference

Pearce, Ruth (2024). be ،peful, be strong, be ،ve, be curious. Wiley.

P،to Credits

Client and Coach P،to by LinkedIn Sales Solutions on Unsplash

Coach and Client P،to by Amy Hirschi on Unsplash

This article first appeared on Positive Psyc،logy News. To see the original article, click here. To comment on this article, click here.

منبع: https://positivepsyc،logynews.com/news/kathryn-britton/2024070253026?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=be-،peful-be-strong-be-،ve-be-curious-a-review