Like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, life coaching is a transformational process. You begin the process and gradually you and your world change – all for the better and more beautiful. Here are five reasons you might want to hire a life coach.
Patterns and Obstacles
This is the reason I hired a life coach.
It became painfully obvious that I was complaining about the same things: I hate my job, I hate my life, I hate the way the sun is shining, and I hate that I have these dreams desires and nothing ever happens with them.
I was tired of the repeating refrain of sadness.
I sent an email to my friend (and now life coach) that said, “I’m sending this email now before I chicken out. I want to hire you as a life coach.”
Listening Skills
I poured out my sad story to my coach in our first meeting. And she listened, and listened, and then kept listening.
There were questions, of course, but mostly she listened.
A life coach listens deeply. Listens with her full self. And, perhaps more importantly, listens without judgement.
And while friends are there to listen, they tend to conspire with you as both judge and jury: you were wronged. Nothing is resolved, other than the fact that you’ll talk again soon.
A life coach, on the other hand, guides you to see your role in the wronging, and to help you figure out ways that it might go different next time.
Encouragement
In addition to listening deeply, a life coach is there to support you every step of the way. She acts as your personal cheerleader, encouraging you with whatever you choose to do.
For some, this may be one of the few times in life where there is encouragement without judgement. If you want to sell your ju-ju beads on Etsy, your coach will be there with you through all the ups and downs.
Accountability
The other thing that a life coach helps with is accountability. I really don’t like the word, but I what it infers. Being accountable means that you are trustworthy – that you will do what you say you will. It means that you are responsible for what happens.
A coach holds you accountable for what you do and say. Together you decide what you want to achieve by the next meeting.
In my case, sometimes it’s very concrete goals: I want to have two blog posts written, or I want to have the outline for the project done. Other times, it’s more fuzzy: I think I want to listen to my intuition and see what it says I need to do.
Your coach keeps track of these goals. And at your next meeting, she will ask you if you accomplished the goals. If you did, great – you can explore how that went.
But what if you failed and just couldn’t finish anything? The answer is still great, and you explore how that went. The point isn’t always to achieve every single goal, but rather to understand your motivation behind the goal and why you were not able to achieve it.
Dreams and Desires
A coach holds your dreams close to her heart. She ‘holds space’ for those things to grow and bloom and flourish in your life.
She helps you explore various possibilities, and then helps you figure out what will work for you to test those possibilities out. And after the testing, she still works with you to hone and further refine your dreams and desires.
And, even better, your coach is there to celebrate all of your achievements – big and small.
Why Hire A Life Coach?
Here are sometimes when a life coach might be right for you:
- If you have some things you’ve always wanted to do, but just haven’t gotten around to doing them.
- If you’re feeling stuck or frustrated with how things are and are ready for a change.
- If you’re going through menopause and feeling like everything is changing.
- If you’re newly retired and not quite sure what to do with yourself.
A life coach is here to be by your side through these transformations – and beyond. Contact me today to explore your possibilities or send an email to julie AT julieawallace.com.