About Coaching
Coaching aims to help you deal with overwhelming problems in a more positive way by breaking them down into smaller parts. I can help you identify and change these negative patterns to improve the way you feel
What is Life Coaching?
Life Coaching is an emerging and rapidly growing field. A Life Coach is similar (for the sake of familiarity) to a football coach. The football coach coaches his players to improve, change and develop so that they can become better footballers. A Life Coach coaches people to enable them to improve, change and develop aspects of their lives (but without the shouting running and press ups!).
Coaching is a partnership between the coach and the client. Normally we’ll have a coaching session once a week at a scheduled time. During the session we will focus on relevant information and issues. We’ll create and implement strategies, consider different options/solutions, and then you’ll make decisions and commit to specific actions to move forward.
With this coaching structure in place, you’ll be continually focusing your attention on what you really want. Not only that – you’ll be doing something about it! This coupled with me holding you accountable and providing the ongoing help and support, will make it very difficult for you not to make progress.
As a Life Coach I provide the time, space, structure and support you need to help you decide what you want, why you want it, and how you can achieve it. Then you’ll put this all into action and achieve your goal.
Why should I use a Life Coach?
The urge for change often does not last long enough for you to follow through – the motivation seems to come and then go. On your own, in the short-term, it’s easier for your life to remain the same, rather than do anything about it. But what about the long-term? How many times will you have had the urge to change, but not done anything about it? What will the cost be to you in 5, 10, or 20 years if you’re still the same and nothing has changed? Will you wish you’d started now?
Ask yourself this question – Why do I complain, but still remain the same?
I think the problem is that we often follow the path of least resistance. We take the easy option. This is fine in some cases, even the perfect choice in others. But you see when it comes to the long-term happiness of you and your family – don’t you think it would be worth a little short-term effort, commitment and action?
The good thing with Life Coaching is that once you decide to change, I will hold you accountable, encourage you and gently push you on; so then the path of least resistance is to follow through and do what is required to succeed.
Some Benefits of Life Coaching
- It gets you focused on what you want, why you want it, and how you can get it.
- It enables you to bridge the gap between where you are now and where you’d like to be.
- It provides structure, and encourages you to do more than you would normally do by yourself.
- It provides you with confidence, support, belief, space, encouragement and motivation.
- It can enable you to reach your goals, or accomplish your dreams/ambitions.
- Life Coaching is an investment in you, and it will benefit your entire life.
What is a Life Coach?
Just as Olympic athletes wouldn’t think of training without the added insight, objective perspective and enthusiastic support of an athletic coach, many of today’s most successful business leaders, professionals, executives, entrepreneurs and CEOs use the services of a life coach to take their lives, careers, or businesses to the next level.
“Part consultant, part motivational speaker, part therapist and part rent-a-friend, coaches work with managers, entrepreneurs, and just plain folks, helping them define and achieve their goals — career, personal, or most often, both.” – Newsweek
Why does life coaching work?
“Coaches have the ability to view things from afar — in what some call ‘helicopter vision’ — and to shed new light on difficult situations. Often they can act as a sounding board through tough decisions, help sharpen skills, and motivate.” – CFO MagazineI
An article in Public Management revealed a study where training alone was compared to life coaching combined with training. The study showed that training alone increased productivity by 22.4% while training combined with weekly life coaching increased productivity by 88%.
Here is why:
- Accountability. Most life coaches have three calls a month with their clients. This regularly scheduled call prompts clients to get more done than they would if left to their own devices. Think about it, if you work out with a personal trainer at the gym, you work much harder than on your own. Clients take bigger actions, set bigger goals and think bigger when they work with a professional coach.
- Expertise. The trained life coach knows how to help you set the right goals, make more money, and structure your personal and professional life to achieve greater productivity with less effort. You’ll achieve more in less time with the input of an accredited Life Coach on your side.
- Delivery. A well-trained coach knows how to use the right words so that you are naturally motivated. It doesn’t take brow-beating or nagging when you are working with a skilled life coach. Coaching typically works best with a weekly call so clients have time to integrate new ways of thinking and take action each week toward their goals. Most life coaching is done by phone and delivered in half an hour to one-hour coaching calls. The experience is challenging and uplifting. You’ll look forward to your weekly calls with your life coach. Find an Accredited Life Coach HERE.
- Speed. Most people find that things start to happen very quickly after hiring a life coach.
Who hires a life coach and why?
The ICF puts it nicely:
“People hire a life coach because
- They want more.
- They want to grow.
- They want it easier.
It’s as simple as that. Life coaches help a client get all three. Quickly.”
What are the benefits of hiring a life coach?
- You start taking more effective and focused actions immediately
- You stop putting up with petty annoyances
- You create momentum so it’s easier to get results
- You set better goals that are based on what you really want
- You have more time and energy
What would you work on with a life coach?
Anyone can benefit from hiring a Life Coach. People decide to work with me for many different reasons; below are some of the recent areas I have successfully worked on with clients:
- To achieve a goal or ambition.
- To reduce the amount of stress and strain
- To create more time, and get organised.
- To improve communication skills.
- To clear the clutter that holds them back.
- To change or improve their career.
- To improve health, wellbeing and fitness.
- To increase self-confidence or self-esteem.
- To improve the balance between work/home life.
- To change the direction of their lives.
- Planning – business, career and life
- Blasting through blocks and fears
- Clearing clutter
- Financial security and independence
- Balancing business and personal life
- Making key decisions and designing strategies for success
- Communicating powerfully and succinctly
- Building powerful relationships
- Breaking through the glass ceiling
- Getting promoted
- Finding the ideal career/work or business
- Getting out of a rut
- Making an important life transition
- Starting a business
- Growing a business
- Living an ideal life
- Identifying core values and passions
- Finding the ideal partner/love/relationship
- Fulfilling personal and emotional needs
- Getting organized
- Making more money
- Having loads more time to enjoy life
- Playing, having adventures, and a lot more fun!
- And much, much more…
Do life coaches work on personal goals or business/professional goals?
Usually both. The life coach is the only professional trained to work with all aspects of your life. This is handy because very often if something is bothering you at work, it is affecting your personal life as well and vice versa. Some clients prefer to spend more time focusing on their business goals, while others may want to focus on personal goals. How you use your coaching call is up to you!
Why is life coaching so popular?
- People are tired of doing what they “should” do and are ready to do something special and meaningful for the rest of their lives. Problem is, many can’t see it, or if they can, they can’t see a way to reorient their life around it. A life coach can help them do both.
- People are realizing how simple it can be to accomplish something that might have felt out of reach or like a pipedream. A coach is not a miracle worker (well, they are, sometimes) but a coach does have a large tool kit to help the Big Idea become a Reality.
Shouldn’t I be able to reach my goals on my own?
We’ve been taught that “hard work and doing it on your own” are the keys to finding life, success, money, or happiness. Most people believe they must sacrifice something to attain what they want. Some people sacrifice their health, their time to enjoy life, or their relationships. None of this is necessary. You can have it all, but maybe not all right this minute! And, with life coaching, you’ll find you don’t have to sacrifice anything to get what you want. You may need to change a few things, true, but clients find they have more time with their families and friends, more money, more opportunity, and are more successful at work when they work with an accredited life coach.
Athletes, performers, CEOs and presidents know that they can’t do it alone. They know they need a trained professional or even a team of experts to help them determine the best direction and to provide objective support and feedback. Without this, it is almost impossible to achieve excellence. No athlete would consider going to the Olympics without the support of a coach. The extra edge the coach provides makes all the difference. Why shouldn’t you have this same advantage?
Why is life coaching so popular?
- People are tired of doing what they “should” do and are ready to do something special and meaningful for the rest of their lives. Problem is, many can’t see it, or if they can, they can’t see a way to reorient their life around it. A life coach can help them do both.
- People are realizing how simple it can be to accomplish something that might have felt out of reach or like a pipedream. A coach is not a miracle worker (well, they are, sometimes) but a coach does have a large tool kit to help the Big Idea become a Realit
Why would people who are already successful hire a life coach?
Nobody really needs a life coach, but many people want one! Are you doing what you most enjoy? Are you tolerating or putting up with anything? Is life easy or are you struggling? Are you on the path to financial independence? Do you have what you really want? Most people can expect a lot more out of their lives.
What happens if it doesn’t work?
The client is always responsible for their own life. Clients makes their own decisions and takes their own actions. Life coaches provide positive support and encouragement. While a life coach might challenge you to think differently or suggest that you try a different or even radical approach than you would normally take, the client must decide whether to take the advice or not. Life coaches do not in any way control the client’s thoughts, actions or life. You will feel uplifted and motivated to take action at the end of each personal coaching call. You should certainly feel good about yourself and your accomplishments.