Poetry in Coaching – Creativity inspires Creativity PART 2

My poem, ‘Make your Mark’, (listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojF5uaNkWLk) speaks of writing your own story, taking ownership and writing a positive empowering personal mission statement to live by. I wrote mine after finishing my Barefoot Coaching programme.

It is said that writing a personal mission statement is like creating our own self-identity, our own moral compass, in which we are capable, adaptable and resilient. I refer to mine regularly, to help me keep on track and aligned with my end goal. It has such a powerful positive impact on my life’s journey.

Self-affirmations can protect us against harmful stresses which hinder our performance and growth.

Writing a personal statement and reading it aloud regularly is a way of building a new way of thinking and learning. It helps to keep our focus aligned with what we want more of, and helps us to steer away from focusing on what we don’t want.

Remember, what we feed grows, so it can help us to become mindful of what we are actually focusing on and feeding with our energy.

Your personal mission statement is a way of keeping you motivated, where you can create a lifelong commitment to yourself. It is your own life script, by your own personal design, your own terms and conditions which will guide your life.

My clients say they find it positively empowering and can be amended whenever you wish as you incorporate new, life learnings. A personal mission statement I read was; ‘I vow to live the best life I can live’. This is short and sweet but is extremely empowering when read aloud regularly.

Personal mission statements became part of most university entrance applications, and it has been described as bringing clarity and positivity to a person, which grounds them and gives them a sense of inner stability especially at difficult times.

In my poetic creative writing sessions, I also introduce my clients to journaling and using writing as a therapeutic tool to help facilitate control of emotional responses. It can help us express what we perhaps cannot express verbally. It helps the mind in times of being overwhelmed as it helps clear thoughts from our mind onto paper where we can then experience them differently via our senses and question their truth and/or relevance in our lives.

I love this quote from Robert Frost; Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.”

But you don’t have to write in poetic style for writing to be beneficial. A study by UCLA showed that, when you put feelings into words you activate the prefrontal region of your brain and thus experience a reduction in unhelpful emotional responses. In the same way when you hit the brake when you’re driving when you see a yellow light, when you put feelings into words, you seem to be hitting the brakes on your emotional responses. As a result, you will feel less angry or less sad.

I write from the heart to tell my story of change, including messages of hope and positivity and possibility to encapsulating coaching tools to inspire. One of my clients recently said: ‘Your poems immerse me into your story, they are so relatable, and they make me feel like I’m not alone, I feel safe, as you bring words of hope and good energy with a message of possibility for positive change’.

Creative writing in poetry has helped me and I have found a passion which I wish to share with the world. For me, there’s no greater purpose in this life than to serve others and my wish is to continue to grow and develop, so I can enhance the lives of people I meet, inside and outside the coaching room, along with my mindful poetry being motivational and also inspiring positive change through writing and beyond.

Have a go at writing, a personal mission statement or simply journaling your thoughts, feelings and emotions. Try journaling first thing in the morning and last thing at night, and notice how it helps you.

You can find my poetry on my YouTube channel; Patricia Ahern PACoaching.

Please feel free get in touch with me if you wish to know more about, my work as a Coach or my poetry and writing.