I offer two different, free ways for people to improve their health. One is my 7 Days to Feeling Great Challenge that people can sign up for and do on their own. They will learn some simple and easy ways to improve their diet and health.
Then for those who want more personalized information, I offer a Free Boost Your Health Assessment. It takes about 5 or 10 minutes to complete the assessment and then once I receive it I contact the person and suggest some times when we might connect by phone or Skype to discuss what changes they would like to make and what I see from their responses. Once we speak, I send them a detailed Next Step Action Plan detailing 3 recommendations they can consider.
I was at a loss as to why so many people take the time to do the assessment and then never respond to my follow up email and never get the information they wanted initially. I had a wonderful consultation with a lovely lady today and we discussed her results and some thoughts about what she was struggling with. During our conversation I mentioned to her that she obviously is doing many things right from her responses and it could just be some minor “tweaks” I might suggest that could help her see progress.
She admitted that she hesitated doing the assessment for weeks. I asked why and she said while she was excited to speak to someone and get another perspective on what she was already doing, she also struggled with feelings of fear and shame! It didn’t really occur to me that people would feel ashamed asking for help, or afraid of what they may be told – but obviously they do!
I assured her that we all need help from time to time – who does it all perfectly or never has a question? No one I know, including myself! We are human beings and God put us in relationship because many times we can see how to help someone else where we are blind to our own needs. But we have to push past those emotions and open ourselves to new ways of seeing and doing things.
Often times that is exactly when we begin to see things clearly and find the support and encouragement to take those first steps toward achieving our goals. So if fear or shame are holding you back – I urge you to push past them and make forward progress your goal!
How do feelings of fear or shame keep you from making progress you want to make in improving your health?
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3-D Vitality 
Great post, Ann. I can attest to the fear/shame paralysis, not with you, but certainly in other areas of my life. I encourage you to address this concern proactively with your audience so they feel safe in sharing with you. My wife Sheila and I created a support community for infant loss parents, as we lost our baby in April. We’ve learned a LOT about creating a safe environment for moms and dads to share. Feel free to email me if you need any help with wording. Thanks again! Jason
Thank you for this thoughtful comment Jason. I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your baby. My husband and I lost 2 in between our 3 so I have some idea of what you’ve experienced although everyone experiences and deals with these things in their own way. How wonderful that you have created a safe environment for people going through this to share.
I find people are ashamed to approach me or any health coach for help thinking they should be able to do better on their own – but they must realize none of us does it perfectly – we can ALL learn from others and acknowledging you need help doing it is the first step. Thank you again! I will take you up on your offer!
Ann,
If we admit we need help, some people view that as admitting failure when in fact it’s just the opposite. You are a great coach and VERY approachable, so no one needs to feel ashamed.
Have a Victorious Day!
Marianne
Thank you Marianne – that’s something I’ve always been told, but I guess figuring out how to make people who have never met me feel comfortable and safe is what I need to work on.
On Fri, Sep 20, 2013 at 6:14 PM, 3-D Vitality
I can certainly relate to an extent – we think for some reason we are supposed to have it all together and not need help from anyone. I think that is why so many exercise machines and pills are sold but people are still unhealthy and overweight. There is a place for wisdom from a skilled coach in all areas of life! Actually some of those emotions such as fear and shame are addressed in your book, so I’d recommend a person read your book, then get the coaching and consultation they need.