Dear Zindagi – let me know how to get there

The movie ‘Dear Zindagi’ very beautifully portrays the challenges of the dramatically changing times in today’s fast paced world. People all around us lack a confidante or a guide in our lives, and a Life Coach (called ‘Dimaag ka doctor’ in the movie) is just what we need in these circumstances. The movie shows that going to a ‘dimaagka doctor’ does not require a person to be mentally unstable, and there is nothing to be ashamed of or be apologetic about it. Kaira (Alia Bhat) is grappling with breakups, loneliness, being single, relationship issues with parents, career choices, dating choices, a bad past, and aspires to reach the peak of success at a young age. It’s up to Dr Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) to bring in some calm into her life and make her face her worst fears. Dr Khan never gives her solutions although she seeks answers, but always asks probing questions, and uses stories and metaphorical examples to explain, and then, it is entirely Kaira’s responsibility to act on them. That’s exactly what life coaching is all about!

The movie demonstrates the typical problems each one of us faces, and it is natural to get professional help from a Coach. A qualified Coach is trained to help the client establish the goal, remove limiting beliefs that come in the way, and motivate the client towards achievement of the goal. The Coach does not give advice as is the general myth, but instead engages the client in a collaborative dialog that stimulates the client’s thought process to find their own solutions. When Kaira falls off her bicycle and Dr Khan doesn’t help her up as the Coaching Session time is up, he playfully peddles away, and Kaira is left to help herself. The Coach encourages the clients to pick themselves up and get on with their lives, thus shifting the responsibility back on them.

Kaira was fortunate to come across Dr Khan, so she could take his help, but what about the millions who are in this situation and have not realized where the answer lies? We require a better job, a change of career, better finances, mend a broken relationship, improve our business, want to be healthy, and many more. The personal pressures are many, and each one of us needs a Coach, a guiding hand, an independent entity that can hold a mirror to us to reflect on what is happening in our lives,so that we are able to tide over those obstacles.

Fortunately, there is help at hand, and a good Coach can truly make a difference to the life of an individual.

However, how would it be if you had the opportunity to learn some coaching skills that would help you or your colleagues and friends to deal with their issues?