Many people in the world have no idea what a life coach is, so if you are one of those people, it’s totally okay. I am going to fill you in now. 😉
Let’s use a sports analogy. Everyone knows what a sports coach is. The best coaches are those who really see each person’s unique potential and are able to connect deeply with each individual to motivate and inspire them to do their best. Along the way, that coach is able to teach the player the skills that he/she will need so that, when in the game, the player can apply those skills and perform at his/her best and truly thrive and excel. In addition, the coach works with each player to work well in a team and in relationships with one another, so that the individual and the team can be successful.
Imagine if you had someone in your life, a coach, who was there for you, to see your unique potential, to help you develop skills and confidence to be your best, to inspire you to thrive and excel in life, to help you see how you relate to others and improve your relationships, and much more. A life coach is similar to a sports coach but as it relates to the game of life. (And all the life coaches I know take a more gentle approach than coaches you may remember).
Like a sports coach, the life coach doesn’t do your work for you, rather the life coach empowers you, guides you, asks you questions, helps you look within and find your unique potential and live up to that. Life coaches are there to inspire, motivate, and empower you to live your own best life. Many people, including my clients, have told me that their life coaches see in them things they cannot see in themselves and have helped them to reach new levels of happiness and fulfillment, experience career growth, greatly improve their relationships, and much more.
Life coaches are uniquely trained to know how to really be with people in a way where they can deeply support them where they are right now and concurrently inspire them to be all they can be.
Early adopters of “new ideas” are often a small minority and to all others, there is a lot of confusion resulting in misinformation and sometimes a perception that “it’s not for them.” Believe me when I tell you that life coaching is for everyone.
Life Coaching is for everyone because, unlike therapy and counseling, it’s more about working with people with everyday “stuff.” Life coaches are certainly there to help clients through their emotions, challenges and understanding how the past impacts the present; but the attention is primarily focused on what is right, what the possibilities are, and your potential rather than coming from a false presumption that anyone needs to be “fixed” or in some way is “broken”.
My Approach
My coach training provided me with the tools to go deeper with my clients. When coaching is integrated with all that counseling has to offer, a new dimension is added to the work between coaches and clients. The philosophy behind this coaching program is that the best coaches not only help people to take action and achieve their goals, but also get below the surface to confront the biggest unanswered questions in their lives. It takes a multi-dimensional kind of coaching to help people find the answers they seek.
So, sometimes coaching will be about a specific situation or sometimes a specific area of one’s life. But generally, I work on the level of transformative change – creating a sustainable shift in our way of being in the world. There is nothing wrong with any type of coaching – we all need different things at different times – but when we work on the level of transformation, we often experience powerful changes in all areas of our lives at the same time.
