Removing obstacles: Zero-Parasites Coaching Tool (I)

In any coaching process we find often that our client comes across obstacles that get in his way to making the changes necessary on the path towards his ultimate goal. These “obstacles” or elements that sap our energy and do not allow us to move forward were called “parasites” by Thomas J. Leonard, who developed a coaching tool called “Zero Parasites” to help his clients get rid of barriers.

How does it work?

A parasite is something that takes away our energy but with what we still keep in our lives. Something that depends on us but which we could remove and eliminate. The parasite can be something simple that does not effect us much, such as failure to change a light bulb, or something that effects us a lot, such as a difficult relationship with a pessimistic and negative colleague.

To understand the goal of “Zero Parasites”, let’s use the analogy of a hosepipe. You want to use a hosepipe to water some roses at the bottom of the garden. It turns out that your hose has holes in it. Every day, more and more holes appear in the hosepipe. The hose ends up leaking and, if we do nothing, it leaks more every day. And the result? The pressure decreases to such an extent that the water hardly reaches the roses.

In our daily lives, we accept these leaks, but it isn’t water pressure that we are losing, it is our vital energy. The cumulative effect of this way of living is that we lose all of our vital energy without even realising it. In these situations, which we all experience, our coaching goal is to reach a state of “Zero Parasites” so that:

1. We do not allow our vital energy to be sapped
2. We  stop putting up with situations that we can change
3. We will not put up with things without reacting, we are proactive
4. We reach a state of zero tolerance, zero annoyance, zero interference
5. We stop needlessly contaminating ourselves
6. We stop remaining passive when faced with the things that sap our energy
7. We can escape from compromises, explanations and justifications

The problem with inaction

What do we risk if we continue  putting up with parasites? How do we feel about living this way?

If we continue to be tolerant, remaining passive, then we are likely to feel worried, irritated, listless, tired and, ultimately, we will end up with hardly any vital energy. We will feel overwhelmed, stressed, lacking in motivation and without enthusiasm.

The benefits of  Zero Parasites

What if we remove the parasites, the uncomfortable situations and people that take up our time, that sap our vital energy?
We will discover immediate benefits: we will feel that we are not losing time or energy, we will be in control of our lives, we will progress more rapidly because we will have more energy, motivation and desire. We will have more time to spend doing the things we want to do. Our quality of life will improve, with more genuine personal relationships, surrounded by people who do not upset us, and we will feel more positive and more relaxed. And we will definitely be in a better mood, something which will be obvious because positive energy is easy to see.

How do we reach a state of “Zero Parasites”? This will be explained in the next post, so stay tuned!