Turning Up the Heat

C.S. Lewis once wrote, “If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth—only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair.”

In service of helping our clients get closer to the truth and become more self aware, we sometimes need to turn up the heat.

This might mean asking the question that feels risky. Naming what you see but would normally hold back. Challenging your client to move beyond their current identity and toward who they are becoming. Turning up the heat is about trusting that your client can handle more than they think, and holding space for them to explore what is possible.

Powerful questions to help you turn up the heat:

• If you stopped editing yourself, what’s possible?

• What if you made your vision 1000x bigger?

• Deep down, what change do you want to make that you’re afraid to make?

• What are you not saying that needs to be said?

• Where are you avoiding responsibility?

• In what way are you doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result?

As Lewis suggests, truth is what ultimately leads to real comfort. Turning up the heat is one way we help our clients reach for that truth.

Coaching application. Turn up the heat at least once in all of your upcoming coaching sessions.

Life application. In what area of your life do you need to turn up the heat on yourself? Make a plan for doing that. 

Relevant Upbuild content: [Podcast] Our Complicated Relationship with Accountability (Apple / Spotify)