"One cannot lead another where one has not gone him or herself"
-Schlitz, Amorok, and Micozzi (2005)
For me this brings to mind another saying that we all probably heard growing up..."practice what you preach". I think this concept is essentially important for any type of professional in the health and wellness field. As various health care personnel, wellness coaches, personal trainers, and nutrition counselors our success is based on our ability to motivate and inspire our clients. How can this be done if we ourselves are not setting an example? In order for our clients to trust us with their well-being they need to be able to see the evidence for change in us. Likewise, as professionals we need to be able to truly know what we are talking about and the best way to do so is not by reading a few books and taking a test, but by actually practicing the concepts ourselves. Just as people would generally not take diet or exercise advice from a visibly unhealthy instructor...they are unlikely to take mental and spiritual guidance from a stressed out and seemingly unhappy individual either.
Schlitz, M., Amorok, T., and Micozzi, M. (2005). Consciousness and healing:
Integral approaches to mind-body medicine. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Churchill
Livingstone.
Integral approaches to mind-body medicine. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Churchill
Livingstone.
Megan, I wholeheartedly agree with your response. It is important, as a healthcare professional, to help with motivating a client to make certain lifestyle choices that are pertinent to their overall well-being within the body, mind, and spirit. By representing the tangible evidence of the result of a healthy lifestyle, it is possible to demonstrate the potential benefits that reside within the development of the spiritual aspect of the human experience.
ReplyDelete