25 themes in coaching: No. 1 Ambivalence

I’m starting a new series today on the 25 most common things I see in my coaching practice. The first theme we’re going to cover is ambivalence. I’m sure you’ve heard this word many times, but if you aren't’ quite sure what it means, here is the definition: “the state of having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone”. The buzzy term for ambivalence these days is “decision fatigue”. 

This theme often shows up when we’re faced with different choices that all seem pretty great. We can tend to get lost in the pros and cons and sit in that state of indecision for far too long. The loss in this struggle of push and pull is the time and energy it sucks from us. Decision fatigue is often caused by the underlying fear of what we think might happen if we make the wrong decision. 

Are you in a season of decision fatigue? Here are a few questions to think through:

• What might you be missing by not making a decision?

• What are some potential consequences of not deciding?

• What would help you decide?

• What if there is no wrong decision?

• What is stopping you from making a decision?

• What choice will make you come alive?

For deeper work through your decision fatigue, let’s set up a sample coaching session so you can see what 1:1 coaching would look like and move through your stuckness into the abundance that’s waiting for you. To book your sample session, click here.

*Common Themes in Coaching from Marion Franklin, MS, MCC, The Heart of Laser Focused Coaching, USA, Thomas Noble Books, 2019.