From life, relationships, health & wellness, transitional, professional, and executive to corporate, there are many areas of expertise that a coach can focus on. These areas are not necessarily dependent on one another but you may find circumstances in one scope that are preventing you from progressing in another.
Many people have heard the term life coach but are not exactly sure what one does. If you’re not familiar with the role of a life coach, I hope the following information will provide you with enough insight to help you determine if enlisting one is right for you.
First, let me clear the air on what life coaching isn’t.
Life Coaching is not counselling or therapy. A life coach does not submerge themselves into your past in an effort to promote emotional, mental or psychological healing or make diagnoses of any caliber.
A life coaching session does not usually provide consulting or mentoring services. The role of the life coach does not include telling you what to do in or giving advice on your life.
A life coach will not tell you what’s right or wrong for you in your life journey.
Your life coach should be void of criticism. You are not contracting someone to be judgmental and controlling of you in any way.
It’s likely that you may already have people who try to force feed you with what they feel your thoughts and actions should be as they pertain to their feelings on how you should live. That sounds just as confusing as it does ridiculous, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, that’s the reality some people live in. The good news is that a life coach is not that person.
What life coaching is…
An effective life coach is not interested in telling you how to live your life. Instead, their purpose is to work with you to overcome your obstacles, define your goals, take the steps to achieve them, and reclaim the control that is rightfully yours in a way that feels right to you.
A life coach is there to provide you with motivation, support and direction as you take your most overwhelming situations and break them down into smaller more organized elements in order to create, plan, and execute realistic steps to achieve your goal.
“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got”.
Life coaching promotes clarity and focus to help you elevate to new levels of thinking.
One of the awesome things about a life coach is that they hold you accountable for completing the tasks you set forth because they enter into this partnership believing in you. They believe that you are capable of doing all the things you set out to do and they won’t take that credit away from you.
The best relationship you can have with your life coach will be one based on openness, honesty, and truth. You should be comfortable with speaking freely with your coach much like you would with your best friend.
Unlike your best friend, however, your life coach will not be obliged to tell you what you want to hear out of fear of losing your friendship. They will not encourage you to pave your progress with inaccuracies imbeded in cement!
Deciding if life coaching is for you.
There are many situations where a person may find themselves in need of a life coach.
- Your mind is full of ideas and you are having difficulty finding the right perspective.
- You are feeling overwhelmed by the rights and wrongs of your responsibilities and influences.
- Your actions are not aligning with your goals.
- You are unsure of your purpose in life.
- You need to find balance between your personal, professional, and spiritual life.
- You have achieved your goals and are ready to move forward to the next level.
- You want to improve the relationships in your life.
Life coaching can help you attain, regain or reinforce beneficial habits that support you on your life journey but success depends on you, your circumstances, and your actions.
– You must have an area in your life where you feel stuck and want to improve
– You must be ready to focus on your personal development.
– You must be willing to let go of limiting self-beliefs and discouraging self-talk.
– You must be willing to commit to working towards your goals.
Choosing the right coach.
You may have questions that you need answered about a life coach’s practice, beliefs, and the motivations that make them passionate about their niche.
Most coaches offer a complimentary session that will allow you to acquaint yourself with them, their practice, and the life coaching experience. Take advantage of that opportunity to determine if you will work well together.
Becoming a client.
Once you determine you have found a coach that is the best fit for your needs, you are ready to move on.
You should receive a welcome package that usually consists of a welcome letter, personal information questionnaire, a coaching questionnaire, and a coaching agreement.
At your first coaching session, you will review the contents of the welcome package, set a coaching schedule, discuss short and long-term goals, and decide which issue will be your first priority to begin working on. Then you’re on your way.
You get out what you put in.
Your life coach is there to help you overcome your obstacles and achieve your goals. He or she will provide questions and challenges that are meant to help you break down the barriers that are separating who you are today from who you want to be tomorrow but you are the golden ticket.
You are forming a partnership. You have to want the change you seek and be ready to implement the necessary steps to make it happen. You have to understand that lack of action equates to no progress. You have to be prepared for unpleasantries and maybe even some setbacks but be determined not to succumb to them.
No matter what your situation looks like, you have to believe that you are the key to every closed door in your life.
