Transcript
Speaker: Welcome to Prime Space, a Prime Coaching Academy podcast with your host, Elias Scultori Coaches, did you know that our brain can process 11 billion bits of information at any given second?
Speaker: That's a lot of information, right? 11 million bits of information. But what is interesting is that scientists say that even though there is a lot swimming in our brain cells, consciously we can only handle 40 to 50 bits That's amazing to me. like Out of 11 million bits of information, we can only be conscious at any given moment of 40 to 50 bits.
Speaker: It's a huge difference. Scientists say this is an evolutionary function our brains developed to navigate this world.
Speaker: There is a lot of information coming our way and we would be overwhelmed if we were fully conscious of everything that is happening.
Speaker: So they say the brain naturally compartmentalizes information to make it manageable. So you see babies doing this all the time.
Speaker: Let's say they they see a teddy bear for the first time, and you can see their curiosity. The brain analyzes it. They touch it. They they see it. They notice the shape, the texture. They learn how it works. They understand the function.
Speaker: And then we put a label on it, teddy bear. Next time i see something similar, i don't have to process it all over again.
Speaker: i already have a clear idea of what that is and its value to me. And I can interact with it appropriately based on that previous experience.
Speaker: It makes life easier. I see a tree, I immediately know what that is about. I see a chair... and I already know its function.
Speaker: I see a spoon and I know what that is for. However, Have you ever seen that TV show, Is It Cake?
Speaker: it's It's that... that's my brainless TV moment. I think it's on Netflix. This is a reality TV show that brings together these amazing bakers with incredible technique to create cakes that actually look like other objects.
Speaker: and the judges have to figure out if it is a real object or a cake and it's not easy at first you see that object and you you your brain says okay this is this is a phone this is a book this is a jar this is a lamp and trust me it's super realistic it's very hard to distinguish until The host goes and puts a knife through it.
Speaker: And voila! It's cake. My brain said it was an object, but in reality it is something else.
Speaker: This is just a silly example to show that many times, in fact a lot of times, We don't realize we are making a lot of assumptions about the things, the stories, the situations, and the people that show up in front of us.
Speaker: And Elias, what is the relevance of this around coaching? I thought this was a coaching podcast. Well, everything.
Speaker: What are the boxes? our clients are putting themselves in?
Speaker: What assumptions are they making about themselves and their situation? Where do these assumptions come from? What is different now? Where are they not considering? What questions can I ask that will cut through the perceptions and reveal something else?
Speaker: And what about me? What am I assuming? What blind spots are preventing me from noticing more?
Speaker: How are labels influencing how I show up for my client?
Speaker: Woman, man, white, black, educated. Beginner, successful, struggling, leader, assistant, PhD, CEO, professor, student, American, Italian, Russian, Latino, straight, gay, non-binary, young, old, slim, fat, MCC, c ACC.
Speaker: I bet that every word I just said formed a picture, a sense, an intention inside of you. Are they correct? Most importantly, are they complete?
Speaker: How much am I blindingly relying on the immediacy of the shell around these words? What may I be missing?
Speaker: At any given moment, a lot is happening that we are not aware of. There is a lot available that my labels may be preventing me to see.
Speaker: There are a tremendous number of possibilities I may not be considering because I may be trusting these labels a bit too much.
Speaker: What else am I not noticing? What else are my clients not noticing? That is the power of coaching. As a client, i am hiring this professionally trained individual, not because of their knowledge.
Speaker: You know, knowledge is cheap these days. I'm hiring a coach to support me in noticing what I am not seeing on my own and in exploring what else we both are not seeing.
Speaker: If I, as a coach, am too attached to my own knowing, to my own labels, I won't be able to help as much. I do have blind spots. I do have assumptions.
Speaker: How attached am I to my own beliefs?
Speaker: How much do I rely solely on what I know? How much has my knowledge become a crutch?
Speaker: How is all of this preventing me from listening? How is all of this actually interfering with my clients' explorations?
Speaker: Do I have the courage to challenge my own perceptions? Is it cake?
Speaker: While labels are a sophisticated way our brains created to maneuver through life, they can be deceptive. Labels can be limiting.
Speaker: They can protect us, but they can also limit the way we see ourselves and each other. The secret is to be aware of them and to remain curious.
Speaker: The client says, I'm overwhelmed. What does that mean? My definition of overwhelmed can be completely different than my client's.
Speaker: I'm stuck. Is their perception of being stuck the same as mine? i feel free. What is that really? There, in those moments when I dare to go beyond the surface, I am inviting my client to see layers they haven't considered before.
Speaker: This is the core of coach training, actually. We have lots of skills to learn and to perfect, but the mindset, the openness, the curiosity, the courage, the humility are the secret ingredients a coach brings to make that moment special.
Speaker: How are you practicing this mindset? How supple and open is your heart? What are the things you are too attached to? What else is there for you to see?
Speaker: Thank you for listening and thank you for sharing this episode with others. Come to a prime hour and join us in our conversation. We would love to have you join us and subscribe. If you have not subscribed, click on the like, click on the five stars.
Speaker: Enjoy week and I'll see you next time.
