There’s one aspect of life that many struggle with, and that’s how to think big.
“Thinking big and living big have a deep connection to how you operate your mind,” explains Ajit Nawalkha, the co-founder of Mindvalley Coach. It’s often the key to overcoming challenges.
But what does it mean? And how can you apply it to your coaching work to help your clients? That’s something worth exploring.
What Does It Mean to Think Big?
“Thinking big” is a mindset shift that fuels extraordinary outcomes. It’s about shattering the ceiling of perceived limitations and embracing possibilities beyond our immediate horizons.
It’s the “power of your consciousness being put out in the world,” according to Ajit. He explains that it involves asking, “What is it that I want?” in addition to being able to “constantly question that allows your thinking to become larger, allowing your living to become larger.”
Look at it this way: Imagine a life coach who, instead of helping their client achieve the next promotion, ignites a passion to build a company that impacts millions. That is the power of thinking big.
You’re helping your clients challenge assumptions, see the bigger picture, and fuel intrinsic motivation. And as a result, they adopt a growth mindset, embrace audacious dreams, and redefine their success.
How to Be a “Big Thinker”
Watch Ajit Nawalkha, Co-founder of Mindvally Coach, as he shares how you can expand your frame of mind to achieve extraordinary things.
How To Think Big and Live Big | Ajit Nawalkha
3 Coaching Tools to Inspire Others to Think Big
If you wonder how to inspire others to think big, give these three coaching tools a try with your clients. They also make great self-coaching technique.
1. Questions of width
As coaches, we often play with two types of questions:
- Questions of width, and
- Questions of depth.
Questions of width expand the variety of options in one particular domain. It helps your client make new connections between seemingly unrelated subjects.
For example, if your client shares a story of what activities they particularly enjoy, you can inspire them to go further by asking, “What else?”
Here’s an example:
Client: I enjoy playing badminton.
Coach: What else?
Client: I also enjoy playing football.
Coach: What else do you do, even if you don’t enjoy it as much?
Client: Writing.
Coach: What else do you enjoy doing after you write?
Client: I’d go and cook, but that doesn’t feel as great as I’d like it to.
Coach: What else doesn’t feel as great as you’d like it to?
It’s like you’re in a dark room with a flashlight pointing at everything one by one. Questions of width explore all parts of a particular topic, giving you more to play with.
2. Questions of depth
Questions that go deep wouldn’t necessarily help paint a bigger picture—unless the depth of the question is relatable to everybody.
Here’s an example:
Client: I don’t feel so good today.
Coach: Who are you? Who doesn’t feel so good?
This question often startles clients because it’s not self-explanatory, nor is it something clients think about regularly.
Clients first assume that you’re asking them about their personality or the way they see themselves. But that’s not really the point, which is why you need to ask this question several times.
The point is to help your client understand who they are beyond their thoughts and feelings.
Client: I feel like I need the courage to do something, but I can’t get myself to do it.
Coach: I understand that you experience certain thoughts that may make you believe that you don’t have courage. But that aside, who are you, and who is thinking that thought?
Client: I don’t know; it comes automatically.
Coach: Okay. But who are you? Who is observing this thought?
Client pauses.
There’s something peculiar about reminding our clients of who they are—which isn’t their body or their minds. It gives them immense power because suddenly, the thought they had about themselves is identified as nothing more than just that: a thought.
This coaching question goes deeper into the issue your client is facing and helps them look at the bigger picture. They often come back reporting new, unexpected events unfolding in their lives and things that felt stuck moving again.
3. The mind map
Grab a physical or virtual whiteboard and write down your client’s ideas while you guide them through this process.
Start with the primary challenge they’re facing. For example:
Client: My business isn’t growing anymore.
Coach: Tell me what value your business is currently delivering to its clients.
Client: It’s an advertising agency. So it brings them new customers they previously couldn’t reach?
Coach: Great. What else?
Client: It also helps them explore audiences they may want to consider as potential clients.
Coach: Fantastic. How many clients are you currently serving with this value proposition?
Client: Five.
Coach: To grow your business, would you rather want to serve more clients or serve your current clients more?
Client: Serve more clients.
Coach: Great. How many more clients are you looking for?
Client: Five.
Coach: Tell me all the growth strategies you’ve tested so far.
Client pauses.
As you draw out your client’s thoughts on a whiteboard, two things happen. First, they stop circling back and forth in their minds without a conclusion. Second, they inevitably see the white spaces on the board.
These white spaces are all new opportunities, strategies, and connection points. Once you’ve identified these avenues, you can help them create a plan to achieve their set goal.
Expand Your Frame of Mind
These powerful coaching tools can facilitate insight, reveal new connections and opportunities, and foster a refreshed, positive attitude.
If you want to refresh your current frame of mind with some visionary thinking, join us in the free Become a Mindvalley Certified Life Coach masterclass.
You’ll learn how you can facilitate massive breakthroughs for your clients while building a profitable and meaningful career.
