I did it! I passed the ICF ACC exams!
And now what?
As I was working towards my ACC credential, clocking the 100 practicum hours and passing the 2-hour long exam felt almost insurmountable on some days. And now that I have cleared the administrative hurdles, it becomes increasingly clear that these achievements are not ends in themselves, but the necessary first steps to more hard and meaningful work ahead. Officially certified as an ICF coach, I now have to hold myself to higher standards and expectations, and I can no longer hide behind my lack of credentials to say it’s hard to do more without one.
Where does that leave me then? As a newly minted ACC who is four months into a new, exciting career in a new industry, I asked myself what is the mindset I need to carry with me to courageously forge ahead on both new frontiers without depleting my inner resources? Today, I landed on two Cs as the guiding principles for the next phase:
1. Consistency – ACC does not mean clients will drop from the sky. Credential probably makes it easier to open doors, which I am still trying to locate. Never mind that I am now, ahem officially qualified to coach, I want to still commit myself to peer coaching practices to continually improve on my trade craft.
2. Coherence – the word that really comes to my mind is compassion but it feels a tad overused these days. I wanted to challenge myself by thinking of a different word to stimulate myself differently. I eventually landed on the word “coherence” and what emerged from it was the responsibility to embody the coaching mindset not only when in session, but also in my non-coaching life. This sounds a bit intense, I know, but I feel this is what I need at this point of my life (yep, big word life – both private and professional, coaching or otherwise). I aspire to be a living coach, someone who stays curious, thoughtful and unassuming, and speak with purpose. A coach beyond certifications, name or labels, but in terms of mindset and conduct. Big words and lofty ambitions and so far away from self-compassion. The best thing that came out of this self reflection is that having walked the coaching journey – as a client and coach – I have strengthened my self acceptance muscle enough to aim for something different. Proud to say, with coaching and lots of practice, compassion is now part of my internal OS, on most days and that is more than enough for me.