Once I explain what a Life Coach does and who can benefit from the support of a Life Coach the response is usually positive and they say, “Oh I need one of those!”
This week I’m sharing a Q & A style post that will help to answer the common question “What is a Life Coach?”
I also hope this post helps you to gain a better understanding of the life coaching process and how a Life Coach can deeply benefit you.
Put simply, life coaching helps people create positive change in their lives and moves them from where they are to where they want to be.
Life Coaches help people move forward by working with them to set and achieve powerful and inspiring goals that will give them the life they truly want.
The answer is no.
To help you work on unhelpful thought patterns and behaviours, counselling requires you to reflect back over your life to discover why you’re in your present situation.
On the flipside, Life Coaching looks only from your present to your future.
Life coaching focuses on helping you create positive change by being action oriented and solution focused.
A common misconception is you only seek out a Life Coach when you’re feeling ‘stuck’ or you’re in a bad place.
As I previously mentioned, Life Coaching is different to counselling.
Although, Life Coaching can help you if you need assistance to move forward from a significant issue in your life or to simply get ‘unstuck’.
It’s important to know that Life Coaches also work with a variety of people who are happy, healthy and enjoying life BUT they desire more.
Often people who seek out coaches want to know what it feels like to be fully alive and to truly realise their full potential.
So if there is a gap between where you are now and where you want to be, life coaching could be a good fit for you.
Life Coaching is effective for people from all walks of life and there are a number of different things a Life Coach can help you with including:
As you can see, life coaching covers off on a number of different life facets as a way for you to experience personal growth.
Life Coaching helps you immediately take effective and focused action and a result you create momentum and achieve your goals much faster!
Life Coaching focuses on motivation, education and accountability.
A life coach will motivate you to achieve your goals by:
The Life Coaching process may differ between coaches and it’s important for you to understand what type of process will provide you with your desired outcome.
You can read more about my coaching process here.
The beauty of Life Coaching and the modern world means coaching sessions can be conducted in a number of different ways.
Some coaches prefer to work with clients face-to-face and have an in person experience.
Other coaches may offer telephone coaching or video conferences through Skype.
The significant benefit of telephone and skype coaching sessions is accessibility. As a client you can work with a coach who is either in another state, country or continent (depending on the time differences!).
As a coach I enjoy coaching both face-to-face and through video Skype calls as I’m very much a visual person and I love the connection that seeing a client’s face provides.
It’s also important to note that Life Coaching can also be conducted in groups or in workplaces.
This is a great question and a very important one at that!
My suggestion in choosing a coach is to focus on the feeling of connection.
Most coaches have an online presence, whether it be a blog or a website. Take time to get a feel for their online home, sign-up to their newsletter and follow them on social media. This helps you to see what they are all about, their life experience and if you think they would be a great fit for you.
Also, interact with potential coaches online. Comment on their social media and blog and see how they respond. This will help you get a sense of their communication style and whether or not you will connect with them as a coach.
Many coaches offer Complimentary Consults or Discovery Sessions. These sessions provide you with a fantastic opportunity to get a taste of what coaching is like and whether you feel the coach is passionate, authentic, motivating and caring.
Take advantage of these and ask all of your burning coaching questions!
With anything in life, the more effort, love and attention you put in to something the greater the reward.
Coaching is no different.
I could actually write a whole separate blog post on this question but here are a three quick tips to help you get the most out of your coaching sessions:
So what do you think? Did I miss anything?
If so, feel free to leave any questions you may have about Life Coaching and I’ll answer them ASAP for you!
Also, if you think that Life Coaching could be a great fit for you, why not book in for a 30 minute Complementary Consult.
There is no pressure for you to sign up to a coaching series. It’s just a great opportunity for you to explore the coaching process a little deeper and gain some clarity around your life goals!
If you’re keen, send me an email ainslie(@)startingwitha.com/dev and we can book your Complementary Consult in!
Love,
