You’re scrolling Instagram for a moment’s escapism and keep seeing life coaches pop up on your feed. You haven’t been feeling yourself lately, and you know deep down you want more from life, as you swipe through other people’s perfect pictures and succumb to comparison. But is a life coach the answer to your problems? After all, what do life coaches actually do?
Luckily, you’re in the right place for answers to all your questions. So, if you are wondering how life coaching works, who needs a life coach and what they actually do, read on on for the nitty-gritty about this thing called life coaching.
What is life coaching?
Life coaching is a powerful partnership between you and your life coach.
A partnership with you at the centre. You will be the centre of your life coach’s attention (not in a weird way though! In a more ‘I believe in you and your goals’ way).
Right now, you’re feeling unfulfilled with your life and scratching your head wondering where to turn for support and guidance. Maybe you tried therapy, but you need something more practical to get you onto the right path.
A life coach’s role is to help you get from where you are now to where you want to be, by supporting you to bring positive changes into your life.
By guiding you to get clear on what you really want from this precious life, your life coach will skilfully help you get to grips with how to get there.
A good life coach will know YOU have all the answers already (yes, you really do!).
The fast pace of modern life can make it easy for you to forget your true nature and power.
So, it’s your life coach’s job to help guide you back to yourself.
Your life coach will support you, guide you and hold you accountable so you make those changes you want and see the results you deserve.
Does life coaching work?
Did you know 80% of people who have life coaching experience increased self-confidence?
And over 67% enjoy improved work performance and a better work/life balance?
How about the fact that 73% of life coaching clients improve their relationships?
The numbers speak for themselves: if you’re feeling stuck or lost right now in any of these areas of your life, or wish you knew how to make the changes you’re desperate for, life coaching is the solution you’re looking for.
Life coaching vs mentoring
So, you’ve identified the need to seek some kind of support.
Now, you may be wondering, do I need a life coach or a mentor?
While both life coaching and mentoring aim at the helping you to grow in some way (although not in height!), they are quite different:
Imagine you’re walking in the woods.
A mentor walks in front of you, often removing any branches and stones in the way as he will have probably walked the same path before.
He’ll tell you where the tricky parts are and give you feedback on how you’re doing, sharing his own personal experiences.
A life coach walks beside you on the same path, gently holding hands when you face challenges and joining you in a celebratory dance when you overcome those rocks and branches along the way.
It’s through overcoming these hurdles that you’ll learn so much about yourself. You and only you will have done it.
As you walk along the path, you will have the time and space to talk about your hopes, dreams and what’s getting in the way, as your life coach carefully listens and asks you powerful questions to deepen your awareness of what you truly want.
So, the difference between life coaching and mentoring is this.
Mentoring is a bit like someone taking you under their wing, whereas life coaching guides you back to your wings so you can fly.
Is life coaching for you?
Ask yourself these questions:
· Are you letting fear win over taking action?
· Do you set yourself goals but struggle to stick to them?
· Do you have a sense of being a little lost, as if you’ve misplaced your inner compass?
· Are you wracked by frustration with one or more areas of your life?
· Are you feeling like there is more to life than this constant struggle?
If you’ve nodded to one or more of those areas, it’s now time to ask yourself, “Am I ready to move towards my goal?”
I’m guessing if you’re reading this, there’s a niggle inside you that knows it’s your time to shine.
What sort of things will a life coach help me with?
There are endless possibilities of what a life coach will help you with.
Here are some examples of what your life coach could support you through:
· Changing careers
· Changing negative thoughts
· Improving work/life balance
· Increasing your self-confidence.
There’s so much more, and your life coach will work with you to identify the areas where progress is possible and implement the steps to make it happen.
Let’s be truthful. A life coach won’t wave a magic wand for you. She’s not the fairy godmother.
However, Cinderella’s story certainly has some parallels with life coaching.
Just like Cinderella, you don’t need to use magic to get to your goal or find Prince Charming.
You are enough.
Cinderella took the first step and went to the ball, she stepped outside of her comfort zone into a world she knew little about.
That’s the key.
You need to take your first step.
With a life coach by your side to guide you there, the steps to your goal become clearer and the path becomes easier and more enjoyable to navigate.
Benefits of life coaching
Do you want to feel as you have your own personal cheerleader?
You need a life coach.
A good coach will celebrate your wins with you and support you through any obstacles, as they will be 100% committed to your success.
It’s a journey that will take you from feeling stuck to feeling satisfied, there’ll be ups and downs along the way and you’ll come to the end of your journey having found out lots about yourself and more than likely you will have smashed your goals.
If you’d like to learn more about how life coaching can help you, send me an email for a free 45–60-minute friendly introduction to my supportive coaching sessions: abi@thewell-beinggarden.co.uk
Comments