This “all in” coach helps clients become the fullest version of themselves, one conversation, one relationship at a time!
It is powerful when a human being steps into the work for which he was born and begins living his dream with authenticity and transparency. At the core of almost every role since high school, Alec Jiggins was coaching others in some capacity. It was as natural as breathing to him. Although he was employed in various positions as a writer, journalist, teacher, principal, and school director, and his pursuits took him all over the world, coaching continued to call to him. After completing coursework and gaining certification as a coach in 2017, Jiggins established his own coaching business.
“As a coach, I can only take somebody through to the level of breakthrough that I’ve experienced myself,” he says. “I have been working with coaches on and off for the last 10 years. I hired a team of five coaches this year, each of them with a different speciality, each of whom takes a turn at digging into me. I have had some powerful breakthroughs! It is because I have been coached that I am able to show up for others with excellence as a coach.”
“For me, in coaching, it’s about the quality of relationships. I’m a believer in going slow. I want my clients to get the best out of me,” says Jiggins. His wife – an asset in his coaching business, is a psychologist and counselor. Together they have created programs for relationships and teens. “I don’t aspire to do events for thousands of people,” he says. “That’s not where I see my business going. It’s about one conversation at a time, one relationship at a time. All of my clients have my cell phone number. When they are really, really, really stuck, they can pick up the phone.” Jiggins does have some small groups, but he tries to keep the size to 12 or less so that in a 90-minute call, each person gets individualized attention.
Jiggins has some helpful advice for overcoming self-doubt, which will be beneficial to everyone, especially high achievers and leaders.
No. 1 – Become aware of negative self-talk, and stop it!
“What we believe about ourselves and our capabilities, and the reality we live in, we created through language. Imposter syndrome comes from negative self-talk, which comes from feeling insecure. Insecurity stems from not being authentic. When we are truly ourselves, we don’t engage in CCJ: comparison, criticism, and judgment.”
No. 2 – Turn limiting beliefs into affirmations and goals.
“Negative self-talk is four to seven times more powerful than positive self-talk. That is why affirmations are so helpful and effective! Affirmations retrain the brain. If your self-talk is, “I’m not as good as that person; I can never achieve that; I’m too old; I’m too young – you are calling the negatives into reality, making them real and powerful. When you flip it around and turn your limiting beliefs into affirmations, you start to supercharge your reality. You have been telling yourself a story based on past beliefs about yourself, which is not the whole truth about you. Flip the story! Write the opposite. Describe how amazing your life is in the new reality. This is re-writing the script, creating a new reality based on the real truth about you, minus the limiting beliefs.”
No. 3 – Create the time and space to ask yourself hard questions.
“When you catch yourself in stories from the past, believing something about yourself based on experiences that happened long ago, take a time out. Create the space to ask yourself questions like, ‘Why do I find it difficult to trust people?’ Or, ‘Why am I terrified of public speaking?’ Your answers are buried in the past. Perhaps someone betrayed your trust or someone laughed at you when you presented an assignment in grade school. I ask my clients to make a two-column list on paper. On one side, I have them write down all the objective facts about their accomplishments and proven capabilities. On the other, they list their limiting beliefs from the past. In my own case, my issue was comparing myself to others and thinking they were better than me. I didn’t believe I was living up to their expectations. The reality was that I was doing an amazing job. My results were outstanding. It was the language I was using about myself that shaped my reality, which led to my self-doubt.”
“Eighty percent of the population say they’ve experienced imposter syndrome at one time or another. If the other twenty percent could get past ego and allow themselves to be vulnerable, they would admit they’ve suffered with it too. It is part of being human. We all need to learn to speak to ourselves with self-compassion. A great starting place is awareness of the language we use in speaking to and about ourselves. Ask yourself why. Recall what happened in the past. Make your list, and examine facts versus fiction to uncover what you have falsely believed about yourself.”
No. 4 – Visualise the outcomes you desire.
“If you can picture what you want in your mind and see it clearly and vividly enough, you can make it happen. Top athletes and performers all talk about how they have already created a win in their minds. Personally, I create a vision board and review it throughout the day. I write visualisation affirmations on my vision board too. It’s on my mind 24/7!”
No. 5 – Become aware when you are not living in integrity, and start now!
“When I’m working with a client, I coach them to get into ‘integrity.’ Integrity in this context means that people are whole, complete, and responsible for everything that goes on in their lives. If they say they will run a 10k in three months, but they don’t have a pair of running shoes, they are not living in integrity. When I am in integrity, I keep my word. If I say I’m going to do something, I do it. If I have a step goal, I keep going until I get all of my steps in. If you are living in integrity, you are being conscious in creating your life. At the same time, you are being vulnerable and authentic. As a coach, it is my job to call clients out when they are not being authentic.”
Alec Jiggins believes in his clients. He says, “They are whole and complete. They don’t need fixing. They are not broken. As a coach, it is my job to help them become the fullest expression and best version of themselves, and to help them get out there and live this amazing life!” To tap into more of his advice and find out more about his coaching services, visit Alec’s website.