By Paul Kawkabany – https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-kawkabany-b7b2a811a/

Every person has 5 different elements in their life, and these 5 elements help us see our life in a holistic way.  The 5 elements are:

• SPIRITUAL: Many people do not feel comfortable using this word if they don’t subscribe to anything spiritual; the word spiritual in this context is intended to be secular. The things we internalize about our identity lie in the spiritual core of ourselves.
• VOLITIONAL: Volition stands for the choices we make based on our emotional and spiritual wellbeing. Our volitional decisions are our responses to who we believe we are, so if we believe we are powerful our behaviors will become powerful.
• RATIONAL: Our rationale is what determines the choices we make because our rational symbolizes the quality of our thoughts. The quality of the thoughts governs our emotional state and emotional reactions.  People can be going through the same emotional issues or even the same circumstances and have completely different volitional responses to their situation because of their rationale.
• EMOTIONAL: emotions are not just thought based, nor just fact-based. Unlike many physical conditions, emotions are within our control.  Whilst negative emotions seem impossible to shift for most people, they have the potential to be fleeting and temporary in the way some perceive happiness and gratification.  Which we have most in our lives is within our control.
• PHYSICAL: Physical issues can trigger emotional conditions.  People who go through serious life-changing health issues usually become emotionally devastated by the impact their physical health has had on their life.  At the same time you have heard stories or people who rise above the challenges.

Understanding yourself and your clients is a very important process in coaching.  Ultimately one of the objectives from coaching certification is to enhance your ability to understand your client.