Have you ever felt as if your life is in a state of confusion? You don’t know where you are going, what you are doing, or what should be your priority. Many people are dealing with these issues on a daily basis. They do not understand themselves and their talents. They have no real goals, or they do not know how to attain goals that they have set. Life coaching can help anyone who feels that they can benefit from some assistance in finding direction in their life.

What Does A Life Coach Do?

A life coach will help you restructure your thinking and goals, in order to let you take charge of your own life. They can help you to take a look the direction in which you are going and decide what steps you need to take to improve your life situations. A life coach is not an instructor, telling you exactly what you have to do, but rather a mentor who can help you to determine the best paths. Among the things that most life coaches provide to their clients are:

• Help with long and short-term goal setting
• Assistance in dealing with personal problems
• Developing strategies to reach goals
• Understanding of their own needs and wants and the role they should play in their relationships
• Impartial, but sympathetic, opinions and advice, when needed

There may be many other benefits for each individual who chooses to use a life coach. It all depends on what you and your coach determine are your goals and desires. There is no cut-and-dried formula to the process of coaching. Everything is an individually tailored experience, designed around the client, their needs and goals, and their personality.

Are You A Good Candidate For Life Coaching?

Life coaching can be a positive experience for anyone who wants to make changes in their life. However, you must be at a point where you can be cooperative and ready for change. You should be able to take friendly criticism and suggestions and commit to following through with the plans that you develop with your coach. Be prepared to share those difficult personal issues and admit to your own faults and weaknesses. A life coach has no magic wand that will transform your future, however they can help you to obtain the tools needed to find the answers and solutions you are seeking for life’s problems and challenges.

If you are ready to take a step forward in your life, consider a life coach. They will become an invaluable resource to you in your quest to live out your hopes and dreams. Take the initiative to partner with a coach to discover who you are, what your goals are, and how to obtain them. No matter where you are on your journey, you can always make the rest of the ride a bit smoother and more enjoyable by finding purpose and direction.
Learn more: DenverLifeCoach@gmail.com

It’s a New Year.  What will 2010 bring for you personally and professionally?  At this time of year, we tend to think of making big changes in our lives and “fixing” the things that were unsatisfying about the previous year (or years), and these tend changes frequently take the form of “resolutions”.  New Year’s Resolutions are often large, well-intentioned, sweeping statements for change, that are, frankly for most of us mere mortals, impossible to keep for a variety of reasons.  For example, “Lose Weight” and “Quit Smoking” are 2 common resolutions which, although admirable goals for anyone, are certainly easier said than done.  This is not news to any of us, of course, as reflected in a  recent survey that indicated that 33% of Americans expect to have given up on their resolutions within a month, and fully 75% anticipate their best-laid plans heading down the drain by March of the New Year.  Why does this happen, and given that it does, why do we continue, as intelligent people, to make New Year’s Resolutions over and over again?  Clearly, it’s because we are seeking to better ourselves, improve quality of life for ourselves and for those around us, and are motivated to improve and change for the better.  So what’s the trick here?  How can the cycle of Resolution Failure be broken? 

A resolution, according to the Mirriam-Webster dictionary is, among other things, “the act of analyzing a complex notion into simpler ones.”  This definition is terrifically empowering, and can change Resolution Failure into Resolution Realization when carefully considered and applied.  At the core of this definition is the fact that most things we want to change are hard to change and take many steps.  For example, I am one of those “lose weight” resolvers every year, and happily, the application of this definition has helped me change an upward trend to a downward one over the last couple of years.  The key change in my thinking came when I applied this definition to my goal of losing weight and becoming healthier by resolving, not to just “lose weight” but to implement small, do-able changes through the years that will be sustainable and eventually get me to my goal.  For example, last year, I started wearing a pedometer, which has helped me increase my daily activity quite a bit and supported ongoing modest weight loss.  Thus, the resolution was not “Lose Weight”, but “Wear my Pedometer” which is, frankly, way easier, and still supports the larger goal.  So what’s the take-home message here?  Well, don’t give up on positive change, but re-frame it so at the end of 2010, it’s an accomplishment, not a failure.  Set smaller, achievable goals that you can readily implement and stick to, and before you know it, you’ll be on the road to making your larger goal a reality.  The January issue of my free eZine will address this in more detail.  Happy 2009, and be good to yourself this year!!

I spent much of the day yesterday at a promotional booth at an organic market here in Denver talking to all kinds of people about stress, health, and life coaching. I’d say that nearly 80% of the conversations were around what coaching does and what it means to hire a coach. At the core of these chats was the distinction between a coach and a counsellor or psychologist, and once we cleared that up, I had some great conversations with folks facing all kinds of transitions for which coaching could be a great support. In that vein, I’m blogging today about what coaching is and what it is not.

To start with a sanctioned definition of coaching, let’s use the one from the International Coach Federation: “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.”

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

If everyone is honest with themselves, we can all find an area or two in our lives we’d like to improve.
People know what to do in life to be 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.

In many ways a Life Coach is similar to a Personal 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?

They will then see where you are in regards to your goals. 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 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

• 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 organised
- 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 focussed

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 forest for the trees! You so are wrapped up in everyday life that indeed life just passes you by. 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.

How does coaching work?

Coaching can be conducted through a number of mediums – here are the most popular:

- sessions in person
- sessions on the telephone
- sessions using email

No matter what method is used the approach is the same. During each coaching session the coach and the client will discuss and explore the clients’ journey including their goals, wins, challenges, and opportunities, as well as develop “homework” for the coming week. Homework isn’t like the homework you were assigned in school. It consists of action steps to move you closer toward your goals and dreams. The client brings the agenda and the coach brings the coaching skills to create a partnership that moves the client forward.

One-on-One Coaching:

The structure of coaching is flexible.

You can design a coaching arrangement with the client that meets their individual needs and schedule. The basic design consists of:

• 30 minute complementary “is this for you” session?
• An initial one-hour session to create a coaching strategy (in-person or by phone)
• Initial assessment to evaluate work and life needs and establish goals.
• Regular on-going coaching sessions (typically by phone/email)
• Exercises to increase self-awareness, encourage creative thinking, and develop practical skills.
• Full confidentiality
• Quarterly evaluation and review, along with strategies for ongoing support.

Coaching sessions are usually scheduled weekly, lasting from a half-hour to an hour. Together, you will define the length and frequency that best supports the client. Sessions may be focused on one specific goal or challenge that the client is facing, or on a much broader set of personal or professional issues.

What Coaching is Not:

THERAPY: Many people think that coaching is like seeing a psychologist or a therapist. It is not. Coaching is not designed to diagnose, treat, or provide support for any psychiatric illness or mental health concern. On the contrary, coaches work with well people who need some help making transitions or changes in their lives. A reputable coach will reiterate this distinction up front and will quickly refer you out to a mental health professional when and if it is warranted. Beware of coaches claiming to provide support for any mental health concern if the person is not also a licenced therapist, counsellor, or psychologist.

AN ADMISSION OF FAILURE: Some folks worry that using a coach is stigmatizing and suggests that “you can’t do it on your own”. On the contrary, research has shown over and over again that folks who create support structures for themselves are much more successful in making changes or transitions in their lives than folks who go it alone. Engaging a coach, rather than an admission of failure, indicates a commitment to yourself; many of us are willing to invest in supporting our kids, our co-workers, our churches, schools, and other non-profit organizations, but we tend to be reticent about investing time and money into ourselves. The benefits of working with the right coach at critical times in your life can be incredible. If you decide to work with a coach, be proud of the investment you are making in your own well-being and life.