What is Coaching?

So what is Life Coaching all about?

Everyone loves a definition!

So let’s start with one!

"Coaching is an on-going partnership that helps clients produce fulfilling results in their personal and professional lives. Through the process of coaching, clients deepen their learning, improve their performance, and enhance their quality of life. Beginning with the clients' desires, coaching uses reporting, exploring, and a consistent commitment to move the client forward. Coaching accelerates the clients' progress by providing greater focus and awareness of choice. Coaching concentrates on where clients are today and what they are willing to do to get where they want to be tomorrow." - International Coach Federation, ICF

Life Coaching is all about helping people get from where they are in their life to where they want to get to.

If everyone is being honest with themselves, I think we could all do with improving an area or two of our lives.

But why don’t people do anything about it?

Everyone knows what to do in life to become more successful but they don’t do what they know.
It is a Life Coach’s job to help people get what they want in life in by breaking down the barriers that people impose on themselves.

The best analogy you can ever use is that of a Personal Fitness Trainer.
When you go to a gym they will first ask you what your goals are:
Lose weight?
Lose fat?
Build muscle?
Build endurance?
Increase stamina?
Etc

They will then see where you are at with regards to your goal.

So for example, if you want to lose body fat they may ask you to take a body fat composition test that will measure your current levels of body fat, you may be asked to take a fitness test, asked what your current eating habits are etc.

After establishing exactly how much you want to lose and over what period of time you want to lose it the trainer will then devise a plan of action of what you must do in order to achieve your fat reduction goals.

Along the way your personal fitness trainer will encourage and motivate you, ask you questions about your motivations and any barriers that you face and will help you.

The end goal of a trainer is to help you achieve your goals a lot quicker and more effectively than if you did it yourself.

A Life Coach does EXACTLY the same as a Personal Trainer but with areas of your life.

This could include:
Confidence and self esteem
Feel good about yourself
Remove the self doubt
Meet new people and feel confident
Speak in front of groups
Career
Know what career is for you
Get a better job
Do your job better
Get a promotion
Start your own business and go it alone
Relationships
Develop listening skills
Work through problems with your partner
How to get through tough times
Build stronger bonds
Communication skills
How to communicate with anyone
How to make small talk with strangers
How to get your point across effectively
Losing weight/health
Improve your health
Reduce stress
Sticking to a healthy eating plan
Sticking to an exercise plan
Dreams and achievements
Set some compelling goals
Work out what you want from life
Provide direction and purpose
Have more fun
Have more energy
Money/Finance
Earn more money
Save more money
Work out and stick to budgets more effectively
Getting what you want in life
Becoming more organized
Getting rid of barriers and negative thinking
Manage your time more effectively
Discover your values in life
Remove the clutter that bogs you down
How to stay focused

The role of a life coach

Rather than actually TELLING someone the answers, a Life Coach is the catalyst for getting a client to find the answers themselves.

By asking challenging and thought provoking questions, a Life Coach can unlock the potential in a client.

Coaching is forward looking and focused on the action you are willing to take to get what you want out of life.

Sometimes you just can’t see the wood for the trees!

You so are wrapped up in everyday life that indeed life just passes you by!

Well, coaching enables you to see different alternatives and to take a step back and actually examine your life and all of it’s component parts.

This in turn leads to greater:
Self-awareness
Focus
Accountability

A Coach Is . . .
Your own personal trainer to enable you to achieve your goals
Your champion during a turnaround.
Your trainer in communication and life skills.
Your sounding board when making choices.
Your motivation when strong actions are called for.
Your unconditional support when you take a hit.
Your mentor in personal development.
Your co-designer when creating an extraordinary project.
Your beacon during stormy times.
Your wake-up call if you don't hear your own.

And most importantly, the professional coach is your partner in helping you have all of what matters most to you.

Every Journey Begins With A Single Step

What things do you put off doing while you look for exactly the right way to start?

Have you ever caught yourself saying something like: I'm going to go on that vacation when the kids get older. I'm going to take that massage therapy course when I have more time. I really want to try photography, but... When I retire, I'm going to buy develop my art skills.

When you catch yourself putting off things you'd really like to do, stop and think: How many friends or relatives do you know that were waiting till..., and never made it?

I wanted to have everything right before I started. I wanted to know what was next. I wanted to miraculously turn on my computer and find the newsletter already there waiting for me. I kept looking for the inspiration to GET STARTED!

Sometimes, we just have to give up needing to know everything before we start. Sometimes, it is the wisest choice NOT to look before we leap. We can get so hung up in looking for the things that may trip us going up the staircase, that we never put our foot on that first tread. Does this ever happen to you?

One way to overcome this "analysis paralysis" is to remind yourself why the goal you want to achieve is so important. Really understand what achieving your goal will do for you.

Many people never live the life they dream of because they are waiting for something that may never happen. Be proactive; take control of your future and your today. If you knew that you had only 6 months left to live, what would you do differently today

Here's a little exercise: Spend ½ an hour writing out as many things as you can think of that you want to do in your life. Be creative; think outside the box, stretch a little. What would you like to do? Be? Learn? Where would you like to go? What do you want to contribute? Who do you want to spend your time with?

Now, which of those things would you absolutely want to do if you did only have 6 months left to live? Which ones would allow you to leave this world with no regrets? Finally, and most importantly, what do you need to do today to grab hold of life and begin to live out some of those dreams?