Should You Consider A Life Coach?

Life coaching is a very broad subject, and in some ways a very nebulous one. It can take many forms; indeed, one successful life coach said there were as many ways to do life coaching as there were life coaches. It can cover all aspects of your life, or can focus on just one or two areas of concern.

Life coaching is all about the life of the client, not the purpose of the coach. 

The primary goal is to help the client improve his situation in whatever way or area needs improvement. None of us is perfect, and, really, none of us have a perfect life. Therefore, everyone has some aspect of their life they would like to make better. That is where life coaching comes into play.

A life coach does not tell the client what to do. Instead, he gets the client to see what can be done and then take action. Instead of direction, a life coach provides insight and support.

The coach helps the client clarify their awareness by getting the client to define what is good and what needs work. Then, once the client has settled on a goal, the coach can help the client create a plan. Finally, the coach provides support for the planned actions of the client.

As an analogy, let's look at an athletic coach, particularly a coach to a successful athlete. The athlete probably can perform better than the coach, often better than the coach ever could. What the coach does is help the athlete improve their game by getting the athlete to set a target, put together a strategy to reach that target, and then helping the athlete implement the strategy. At most, the coach will point out what mistakes the athlete is making so that the athlete can take corrective action.

You, the client, are the star of your game. You know your life better than anyone else, however, you may be making mistakes that can be corrected. You may be missing opportunities to make your life better because you do not see them. Your focus may be based off of the major changes you want to make to your life. A life coach can help you see what can happen, and aware of the changes that are needed.

Is life coaching for you? Well, let me rephrase the question. Is your life perfect? 

Can you see what has to be done to make it better? Are you getting the desired the results? If any of these questions have a negative answer, you should at least consider a life coach.