Power Tool: Present Pain vs. Future Opportunity

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Power Tool Assessment

Name: Nathan KregerDate: 4/1/2012Student ID: 265265Email: [email protected]

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Copyright 2012 Coach Kreger Present Pain vs. Future Opportunity Power Tool

Present Pain vs. Future Opportunityby Nathan Kreger

If you will live like no one else, later you can live like no one else

-Dave Ramsey

Jack Canfield, in his popular book, The Success Principles, relates the story of a youngman, John Assaraf. In this story, John moved from Canada to Indiana in order to

become partners with a real estate franchise that was floundering. Canfield explains thatwhile Johns friends were out having a drink, John was working toward his dream of

making the real estate franchise successful. After much sacrifice, persistence, and scornfrom friends, John created one of the most successful real estate franchises in Indiana.

In this story, John Assaraf made a decision to live like no one else now, so that later,

when he became a millionaire, he could live like no one else. John saw a glimpse of thefuture, what his life could be, and decided to run toward that, no matter the obstacle or

current pleasure. No doubt he made sacrifices along the way, but ultimately, theybecame sacrifices of joy. Instead of dwelling in present satiation, John dreamt in future

pleasure.

Everyone one of us, when we set out to achieve a goal or objective, is influenced by ourperspective. There are two perspectives that we can take: a perspective of present pain,

in which we can only dwell in the pain and sacrifice that we are currently making, or aperspective of future opportunity, in which our eyes are set on the vision of what could

be.

Present Pain

When we take on the perspective of present pain in the process of achieving a goal orobjective, we tend to see things through glasses tinted with the perspective that in order

to accomplish something, some sort of pain or loss is required. Furthermore, when wetake on that perspective, we tend to think and see only in the moment, only in the

present. For instance, if a person is attempting to lose weight, most of their thoughts arelikely directed toward the loss or pain they are experiencing in order to attain the goal or

objective they have set out to achieve. In this scenario the loss may be any number ofthings, including not being able to eat sweets and desserts, having to eat smaller portion

sizes, not eating out as much, or having to exercising more intensely. The internaldialogue may consist of, I have to give up this or I have to do that, and the external

dialogue is often characterized by complaints to everyone around them how it is sodifficult not to eat this or that. Bottom line: when someone is on a diet, they tend to let

everyone around them know the pain and suffering they are experiencing!

When we approach goals and objectives in this light, focusing on the loss, failure oftenoccurs. It is easy to get caught up and overwhelmed by what is being lost that a clear

vision of may be is distorted. Furthermore, when we focus on the loss or the pain, thethought often consumes us, until we give in, until we say, Its not worth it.


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Future Opportunity

When we take on the perspective of future opportunity, we see the process of achievinga goal or objective through the lens of what would be sacrificed or what would be ifour

goal or objective were not completed. In the example above with the person attempting

to lose weight, the coach must direct the client to explore what may be lost if the goal orobjective is not attained. For instance, if the client does not achieve the desired weightloss, resultant health effects may follow, including increased risk of cancer, heart

disease, and stroke, thereby putting them at greater risk of losing the opportunity towatch their children grow, enjoy their retirement, or avoid the pain of a terminal disease.

While there may be pain in the present, it by no means outweighs the opportunity of thefuture. The focus becomes so intense that the pain is forgotten, left to the wayside, and

passed by. Just as John Assaraf was focused on the future opportunity that he did notthink about his present circumstances and sacrifice, so we need to be able to change

perspectives and see the future as opposed to dwelling on the present.

When we approach goals and objectives with the question, What will be lost if thisgoal or objective is notachieved?, there is a shift in perspective. A person can come to

realize that yes, sacrifice is required in the short-term, and it may be difficult, but thelong-term gain is invaluable. In a sense, it is often like trading one hundred dollars now

in order to receive a million dollars in the future. The loss of one hundred dollars nowmay hurt a bit, but the gain of one million dollars will quickly overshadow that loss.

Exercise

1. Take a few deep breaths and relax. Close your eyes, and think of something youwant to achieve six months, or maybe even a year from now.

2. Fully envelope yourself around that goal or objective. See, feel, taste, and smellit.

3. Ask yourself, What sacrifices will I have to make in order to achieve this goal orobjective? What will I have to give up?

4. Now ask yourself, What will I be sacrificing if I do not achieve this goal orobjective?

5. Finally, ask yourself, What sacrifice is greater, the pain of short-term disciplineand loss? Or not achieving a dream or goal?

Coaching Application

Our job as coaches is to help the client see things form many different angles, to shiftperspective, and help them find motivation, options, and solutions. The use of this

power tool simply lies in being able to ask powerful questions to help change the


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clients perspective from focusing on the present pain to seeing the future opportunity.The following is an example of how I have applied this tool with a one of my clients.

Some time ago I was talking with a woman about one of the goals that she was trying to

accomplish. This woman wanted to achieve a certain body composition goal, but did not

seem very motivated to do the work required in order to attain the goal. The coachingside of me thought it would be a good opportunity to explore the topic a bit more andsee if I could ignite some motivation in her.

I began by asking her what exactly they wanted to achieve, and asked her to imagine

what it would feel like if she had already attained it. She listed a number of things,including a sense of confidence and feeling of well-being.

I then asked her what she would have to give up in order to achieve what she wanted. In

other words, what sacrifices would she have to make to get from point A to point B. Shelisted a few things, such as giving up desserts and not being able to enjoy social

encounters as much due to the modified eating habits required.

After I asked her what sacrifices she would have to make in order to achieve her desiredgoal, I asked her, What would you be sacrificing if you didntachieve this goal? What

would you be sacrificing if you changed nothing and continued living life as usual?

She began to list many of the different things that she already had earlier when I askedher to imagine what it would be like if she had already attained the goal. However, most

importantly, the question refocused her and helped her realize that no matter whatchanged, or in this case, did not change, sacrifice would be inevitable.

Ultimately, she came to the conclusion that the future opportunity was by far, moreimportant than the present pain. Giving up some sweets and desserts, and exercisingmore intentionally was a small price to pay for the future benefits that the price would

reap. If we live like no one else today, we will have more opportunity to live like no oneelse in the future.

Reflection

1. How can you apply this tool in your life?2. In what areas are you focused on the present pain instead of the future

opportunity?

3. How can you apply this tool to your coaching practice?References

Canfield, Jack. (2005). The Success Principles: How To Get From Where You Are ToWhere You Want To Be. New York: Harper Collins.

Power Tool: Present Pain vs. Future Opportunity

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