NCCA Meeting

8 November 2006

Carl, Holly, Ken, Judith, Duane, Irene, Chris, Beth, Kristen, Steve, Ginger, Alice, Mandy, Martha

Judith is a Life Coach, from South Dakota, with a background in Psychology
Maslow's theory of development, and how that plays out in a client's life
Montenegro was so grey, so oppressed, and everyone seemed to be without hope
- Judith started wondering how she would coach someone there
- She found that her coaching techniques seemed to be beyond their reach
Subsequently she started thinking about Maslow's developmental theory
This helps to uncover why a client might be stuck, and help to move them to higher levels
Maslow developed his theory by studying what he considered to be exemplary people, and how they developed during their lives
People need to have their needs fundamentally met at one level before being able to think about the next level up
Judith has found that "belonging" is a very fundamental human need
Judith had a personal experience where she was really stuck for many months, and finally discovered that she was being held back by her own perceptions of shaky financial security. When that was identified, then she could move forward.

Questions and observations

When is enough enough? It seems that perception drives everything, you have to believe that you have these things. It's even possible to not have needs met in reality and transcend it, but that's rare.
How accurate and universal is this? Judith's not convinced that everything at each level must be met.
Book Ruby Payne: discusses the unwritten rules of poverty, middle class, wealth. The Rich Dad Poor Dad series addresses this too.
Beth found that sometimes it's really productive to talk to business clients in terms of time and energy rather than in terms of dollars. In this case, time equated to quality of life, while money was at a different level.
Irene developed a similar hierarchy of needs, the bottom level being "extreme self care." It encompasses approximately the bottom half of Maslow's triangle. The top level is "social self actualization," emphasizing the outward contribution of a self-actualized person. Pat Williams and others did a workshop called "From Me to We" at the ICF conference that covered a similar topic.
Misalignment of wants and goals, the conscious and subconscious: Set your intention to the universe. Any contradictions in my life will be "in my face". Need to release or overcome.
The less you have, the less you have to protect