How your Blueprint Impacts your Choices

Career Focus
05 March 2023

How your Blueprint Impacts your Choices

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Blueprints provide bird’s eye views and minutiae at the same time.

I once did an assessment called StrengthsFinder which identified blueprints (called “Context” in their lingo) as one of my Top 5 strengths.

People with the Strength of Context® look back in time to understand the present. They look back into history to bring the present to life, and to add stability and meaning to the here and now. These are the people who believe, “If we do not study history we will repeat the mistakes of the past.”

https://www.leadershipvisionconsulting.com/the-strengthsfinder-theme-of-context/

It resonated with me immediately. I firmly believe that learning about the past is crucial to understanding the present. I think people are the same today as they were 500 years ago. Tools may change – printing press, the Internet – but the way people interact with each other and understand themselves has not.

That’s why I studied a lot of history. By understanding the blueprints like how the Renaissance fed the Scientific Revolution leading to the Industrial Age and the wars of the twentieth century, I feel grounded knowing how humanity got “here.”

My biggest passion, though, is people. I love learning how people tick, their personal blueprints. I enjoy hearing people’s origin stories, how they got from “there” to “here.”

In sum, I think the past informs the present at micro (personal) and macro (societal) levels.

What’s your blueprint?

It’s no surprise that my favourite part of coaching is Fulfilment, which is about identifying your values. Values come from your past experiences, what feels good versus feeling dissonant.

Values are your blueprint.

At their best, blueprints are maps that guide you gently forward. When you know your blueprint, you gain:

self-awareness
clarity
insight

It helps you navigate today and the future.

Here’s an example: I value connection. With this awareness, I know that I enjoyed working with people while doing HR because it nourished my value of connection. It also clarified why I got so frustrated doing administration; it took time away from connecting with others, so it drained me.

I decided to spend more time connecting which has resulted in feeling more aligned, more authentic, in my daily life.

What’s important to you?

Blueprint Coaching

I use blueprints every day in my coaching by helping people see how past behaviours and experiences impact them today. Let’s say you get triggered by someone who yells. With coaching, you don’t analyze who or why you got yelled at in your past. Instead, you look at how you currently respond (fight, flight, freeze) and identify new ways of responding, authentically, that support your growth. In other words, you start to see you have options.

I’ve talked a lot about choice in my newsletters. When you feel stuck in a pattern, behaviour, or thought, you believe you don’t have choices. In consequence, you may feel frustrated, paralyzed, or angry.

Responding in new ways happens by identifying alternative choices you can make. A friend of mine recently advised me, “It’s not what you look at, it’s what you see.” Exactly! Choices come from seeing things in multiple perspectives.

Think of an apple pie with eight (8) slices. Instead of focusing on just your slice (your current perspective), think of the other seven (7) slices. What are some other ways of viewing your topic?

Header Photo by Sven Mieke on Unsplash, Apple Pie Photo by Diliara Garifullina on Unsplash

You have to be open minded in order to grow. The coaching that Laura gave me opened my eyes to what and how I was doing things and allowed me to see the bigger picture. I am not done yet but I already see the changes in my everyday life.
MM

I think coaching is a great way to help you clear your mind when you get stuck with overwhelming situations or when stepping into changes in your life.
MO

Coaching is life changing. It pushes you outside your comfort zone and challenges your perspectives. It is highly motivating and the exercises and techniques used are both fun and informative. I think the main benefits of coaching are to see yourself, others and the world more clearly. I think coaching is valuable to anyone regardless of where you are in your life or career.
LE

I honestly never thought I’d need a coach. I thought coaching was for CEOs and industry VIPs. I didn’t think it was for the “little guys” (i.e. me). Now, I’m of the belief that everyone – yes, EVERYONE – needs a coach. Coaching has really benefitted me and I’m so grateful to have had that time with Laura. It’s changed my life!
VB

Laura is very patient. She took the time to understand what was causing me to be stuck where I am today and help me build a better vision so I can continue to grow.
MM

I think Laura’s coaching was what I had been waiting for. Laura was so approachable, kind, and open. Her willingness to help and support made a difference for me. I found in her coaching new strategies, ideas, and perspectives that I could incorporate into my goals and objectives that I didn’t see before.
MO

Laura is an incredibly intuitive, positive and caring coach. Her techniques helped me recognize both my strengths and areas I might want to explore as I embark on the next chapter of my career. The exercises she employed were instrumental in providing self perspective and challenging my frames of reference.
LE

Laura is a natural coach. Her probing and compassionate questions helped me learn about myself: my value system, interests, goals and strengths.
LM

Coaching sessions with Laura gave me new perspectives on how to process specific feelings and situations in life. She showed me how to sit with my emotions, acknowledge them, and then use visualization strategies to move through them. I now feel more confident and in control of how I choose to walk through life.
CP

From the beginning, Laura put me at ease, creating a safe, open space for me to talk and share freely without fear of judgement. I loved the variety of approaches she used depending on the topic we were working on and it was fun being able to try out things I wouldn’t have considered before! With Laura’s coaching, I substantially grew my confidence in the workplace, overcame fears, dealt with issues I’d been carrying around for many years and, most importantly, learned to value myself and define a path forward into the future.
AG

Laura’s coaching was a breath of fresh air and EXACTLY what I needed at that point of my life. I didn’t realize how impactful coaching was going to be, but by the end of the sessions together, I left feeling refreshed, inspired and genuinely curious about what my future held for me. Because of Laura and her coaching, I believe I became a better person – someone who is more open-minded, someone with a clearer focus, and someone who is willing to explore opportunities and possibilities far more than I ever did before.
VB

I engaged Laura for coaching as I took on an expanded role leading an asset management company in Canada. As a female, I knew I would be a role model and had high expectations of myself. I was feeling overwhelmed and anxious.

In our first few coaching sessions we worked through exercises that allowed me to reflect on my purpose, leadership style and what mattered most to me. I continue to be grounded by the clarity I achieve in my coaching sessions – allowing me to be resilient and confident when challenges came my way.
OS