ABSTRACT
To set oneself free, one first must recognize the uniquely individual mental cage one voluntarily inhabits. To embark on this journey, we need to deduce our self-imposed limitations through a process of inquiry. The questions we ask of ourselves or our clients must reveal the construct of a problem for coaching to produce change. However, a systemic problem may not be evident until we understand why it exists. Even though ‘why’ questions are considered the province of therapy, as coaches we sometimes need to ask ‘why’ in order to gain insight into the motivations behind behaviors such as procrastination. We also need a device with which to observe ourselves objectively, and a visualization technique called ‘The Mezzanine’ can allow us to separate ourselves from problematic internal systems in order to gain a blameless, and therefore more constructive and solution-focused perspective. Also, this chapter exposes the ‘fear of success’ as a misnomer as it arises out of a conflation of success with safety.
