María Leonor Álvarez
- Existential Coach with Logotherapeutic approach. Society for the Advancement of Sense-Centered Psychotherapy. SAPS. Bogota Colombia.
- Professional in International Relations. Universidad Nuestra Señora del Rosario.. Bogota Colombia.
- Master in International Solidarity Action in Europe. University Carlos III of Madrid. Madrid Spain.
How did I met this connecting path to my meaning in life?
This question seems an excellent way to present myself, what made me and how I ended up studying and practicing to become a coach. This path started a time from now, through twos of my hobbies: reading and history.
Unlearn, observe and understand
I remember that since teenage I was reading about history and geography, and that what attracted me the most was to discover how people lived in other countries, their customs, what they were developing and what they were debating. When 17, I’ve had the opportunity to go and live in Hungary. This was a life-changing experience. As first encounter with the world of others, this experience enabled me to ignite my observer’s abilities and start oserving, engage conversations, live events and encounter different ways of living life.
This multicultural exchange has been an enriching experience, because it allowed me to view my own beliefs from a different angle, and take advantage of this new knowledge to handle the situations I encounter in a enriched way.
Continuing the enrichment…
When I came back to Colombia, I started to study International Relations at University and discovered how hard my passion to learn the world was calling. I studied a lot about countries, geography, history, political and economic systems, and much more. This all helped me discover and understand the way the world and its diversity are working.
I graduated and joined the world of Development Cooperation and Non-Governmental Organizations, focusing on project formulation and execution. While doing this I began to feel something was missing. Although I was supporting projects that indeed responded to the basic need of a community, I felt a key dimension was missing. That missing key dimension was the connection with the other’s inner world and values.
Understand and integrate into the equation who the other is, what his interests are, what his dreams are, what his pains or his strengths are, all that defines a person in so different ways from others. It appeared then essential to me that his connection was also frequently missing with ourselves, although it was key to find and define our own meaning of life.
Putting in question
When I realized the projects I was working on were missing this connection with the true meaning of the people they try to support, I understood that my puzzle was incomplete and that I needed to reprogram myself and focus on that quest. I questioned my professional career, as what was my inner world. I interrogated myself about the meaning of my work, my history and my life. The values I attached or pursuit with them. I was unhappy, but decided to begin my search, and I did it the way I knew: traveling to other countries and meet other systems or values, working and deepening my studies, thinking that this path would bring me the knowledge I was looking for to fill in what was missing.
Disappointment, introspection and opportunity
What I discovered is that I actually learned new things, I met people and I had wonderful experiences, but that piece that was missing in the puzzle I did not find it. I left with questions and came back with many more … I became entangled and entered a period of confusion and emptiness. The truth is that I was not there and this affected other areas of my life including my health.
All this period of not knowing what to do or where to go, became a great opportunity. I started looking again, but this time inside me. I asked for help, I did trainings, therapies, coaching and in each one I found tools that helped me to see myself, to know myself and to connect.
Although the path to inner knowledge never stops, I learned to blur my fears and doubts and to move on. I learned to handle the challenges of life and to give importance to my values, which I was able to identify with my new tools. Here I began to see what gave me meaning and purpose: to accompany the other. In this process I found the existential coaching that I fell in love with and that later, it became the tool I needed to start my new personal and work path as an existential coach.
Help the other to identify their values and use them to make sense of their projects, their actions, decisions and challenges is the project that fills me with meaning.