22nd December 2022
As many of you will know by now, one of the things I have been doing over the past 18 months is studying to qualify as a coach. The more observant among you may have noticed that, specifically, I am studying "existential" coaching - a type of coaching that is grounded in the tradition of existential philosophy.
I must admit, I didn't know a huge amount about existentialism before I started my training, beyond vague notions of glum Frenchmen wearing polo necks, chain-smoking Galoises, and bemoaning the meaninglessness of existence.
While (I am pleased to say) my understanding has come on a fair way since then, I feel my instincts were right… Existentialism is not, on the face of it, a jolly affair. Kierkegaard intones "My melancholy is the most faithful mistress I have known"; Camus informs us "There is only one really serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide"; and more recently, Duncan Fraser writes (in a book on workplace coaching) that work "defends us against our fundamental nothingness and mortality". These are not people you would rush to invite over for a dinner party.
However - if you can get past this, there is wisdom to be found. Even if the universe doesn't have any inherent purpose, and there are no "answers at the back of the book" to tell us how to live our lives, it doesn't mean we can't find our own meaning. Existentialism can be a bracing guide to looking deep within ourselves and finding what matters to us most. Working with my clients over the course of the year I continue to be struck by how important it is for us to actively seek out meaning in our work - and yet how often we fail to do so. It took me over 20 years to figure out what is truly fulfilling for me in my professional life, and to follow that goal. Better late than never!
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas, a restful holiday period, and a 2023 full of meaning and fulfilment.
(The boulder-pushing chap in the picture is, of course, Sisyphus. Camus wrote at length about him, and in one of his cheerier moments even said "We must consider Sisyphus happy" - a reminder that purpose can often be found even in the most trying circumstances).
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