Wealthy and successful people have coaches and reap the benefits of having coaches as a resource to help them along their path to success.
But can life coaching help us, "regular" folks? Well, that’s a great question. One that more people should consider asking in fact.
Short answer. Yes! But I would like to point out right here and now that celebrities and the like are regular folks too. They are human but they found a way to tap into their potential.
Think of it this way. If you have a highly successful idol or role model that has generated happiness, health, success, and wealth in their life, wouldn’t it be wise to learn what they do differently that got them to where they are?
Believe it or not. More and more people are getting hip to the fact that if they study whatever it is they wish to become and then model, or learn from them that they too can find their own success.
Which begs the question. What is it that they do differently? How are they able to succeed at a high level with all that added pressure to perform at a high level?
Well, the simple answer is, that they have people in their corner helping them to stay on task and take care of themselves so that they can operate and perform at high levels.
The dopest part about it all is that us "regular" folk can do the same thing. Surrounding ourselves with people who genuinely care about us leveling up and personally developing through life.
Athletes have coaches. Many famous celebrities, socialites, successful entrepreneurs, and professionals have coaches. But coaching doesn’t just have to be reserved for the wealthy, rich, famous, or well-connected.
This article is written with the intent of clearing up any confusion on what life coaching is and with the purpose of increasing awareness of the benefits of life coaching.
So What’s The Deal With Life Coaching and Do You Need One?
Well, first let’s dive right into what a life coach is and then what a life coach is not.
As defined by the International Coaching Federation, an organization that has been around for 25 years now, defines life coaching as a
“partnership with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.”
In other words, coaching is a process. It’s a collaborative effort between the coach and the client to work toward the client’s goals.
As said by college football coach Bill McCartney “all coaching is taking a player where he can’t take himself.”
Going from real to ideal. From who/where you are now to who/where you want to be.
Some confusion exists between coaching, mentoring, consulting, and therapy. Some assume they are all the same thing. But this isn’t quite true. So I want to briefly explain the main differences between them because again, I want it to be clear what life coaching is and is not.
So let’s clear the air.
Coaching techniques are designed to help individuals find their own way and discover their own strengths, skills, and blind spots, helping clients draw from within their own experience and wisdom to collaborate on a plan to move ahead successfully.
Coaching is not consulting where the objective is to improve specific situations, although some form of consultation may happen at some point or another during the coaching process.
Nor is coaching necessarily mentoring which is more of a “do what I did” approach. Think role model instead of a coach.
Here is the one that most certainly must be clearly distinguished among the group.
A life coach is not a therapist. Life coaching is not therapy. Therapists deal with past issues and traumas. Life coaches work from the present moment and into the future. A life coach won’t help you get over a past loss or deal with the fact that you were bullied in junior high simply because that is beyond the scope of practice for a life coach. Seeking professional help beyond a life coach in these instances is best.
Life coaching is a partnership as coaches guide individuals as they set and reach their own objectives. Most of us weren’t formally taught how to live successfully. We kind of just know what we know from the major influences in life or are lucky enough to stumble our way towards success, but even then there’s probably a coach present somewhere in the mix.
A life coach can help with addressing derailing behavior, act as a sounding board, and help you with developing high potential.
Imagine for a second what life would be like if you had help along the way to figure out what you want to do with your life, set goals, and achieve them. What would life feel like for you? Better question, how would you feel about life?
Coaches have experience in helping others to live fulfilling, more desirable lives.
Let’s Talk Benefits
It goes without saying that having a life coach in your corner can be beneficial, but let’s go a little deeper into how.
Having a life coach offers a fresh perspective on personal challenges and offers greater interpersonal effectiveness where clients can see results in areas such as productivity, personal satisfaction with work and life, the achievement of personally relevant goals, and so much more.
A life coach is a cheerleader. Life is easier when someone is in your corner. When you know you have support, it’s easier to take risks and chase after big goals. You always have someone on your side to push you through difficult and, even stressful situations, when you have a life coach.
A good life coach can recognize when you’re playing games and push you to succeed.
A life coach provides guidance. It’s not always easy to make good decisions, especially when you’re stressed or fearful. And let’s face it, some of us just don’t make good decisions, period. Sorry. But let’s be real. A life coach can help you learn different strategies to make wiser decisions.
A friend can’t always be objective or completely honest, but your life coach can. You’ll hear what you need to hear from your life coach.
A life coach helps you to determine what you want to be when you grow up. Sounds childish, but in a sense it’s true. It doesn’t matter if you’re 18 or 68. A mentor can help you to determine what the next step of your life should be by helping you discover what you want and how to get there. If you’re feeling lost, a life coach might be the answer.
A life coach will help you to find balance and harmony. Life coaches are aware that there’s more to life than just money, material things, or a perfect beach body. They emphasize keeping all parts of a person’s life in balance. Health, professional success, relationships, finances, spirituality, and leisure activities are all part of a well-balanced life. There’s so much in life to enjoy, but that’s hard to imagine when you’re unbalanced and not fully being your authentic self.
A life coach can help with many facets of life. A few of these areas can include:
Career
Love life
Finding your life’s purpose
Achieving challenging goals
Making more money
Creating more free time
Following an exercise program
Starting a business
And the benefits list goes on and on. Working with a life coach can also improve performance, improve communication skills, and increase productivity.
Need even more benefits? Check out the infographic for a list of more benefits reported by clients in the 2009 ICF Global Coaching Survey.
A life coach isn’t required to have any training. There are organizations such as the one mentioned above that certify life coaches, but they aren’t necessary to hang out a shingle and make a living as a life coach. Be sure to vet anyone you’re considering hiring as a life coach. Since the barriers to entry are so low, there are plenty of life coaches that aren’t good at what they do. Pay attention to reviews, check out their content online to get an idea of who they are, and schedule an introductory session to see if a particular life coach is a good fit for you. Most will offer a free session to get the process going, so use those to choose carefully.
In conclusion
Coaching isn’t a hard concept to grasp. Working alongside someone committed to helping you help yourself at achieving your goals and personally develop can be a great thing. It could be one of the best decisions you've made in your life, for your life.
A life coach won’t solve your challenges, but they can help you to help yourself. If you need a steady hand to guide you and a cheerleader to support you, a life coach can make a big difference.
But remember, there are good life coaches and bad life coaches. If you’re looking for a life coach, ensure that you find a good fit for you. It’ll come down to taking the due diligence to get to know your potential coach.
Developing a know-trust-like relationship with a potential life coach is key because in order for the coaching process to yield good results trust must present throughout the coaching-client relationship. Finding the right match is very important for your future success.
Coaching is a tool successful people use to become successful people. Whether you consider yourself a high-performer, or you want to become a high-performer, having a life coach can help you get just one step closer to living your best life making the process all the worthwhile.
Do you need a life coach?
Recently BeU Life Coaching conducted a survey to learn more about what people were looking for in a life coach, and when asked "have you ever considered coaching as an option to reach your goals? why or why not?" here's what a few respondents had to say:
"Having someone provide constructive feedback will only make you a better person."
Another's response to the same question was:
"I think it's important to have a professional guide you instead of figuring everything out on your own."
That is exactly why BeU Life Coaching was conceived, to help guide you and to help you become a better person, not only for yourself but for the one you love in your life.
If you're looking for help on your personal growth journey, need someone to inspire you and motivate you to take action, and help you remain accountable to your goals and aspirations, then book a free discovery session with me today to learn how BeU can help.
Life is hard enough on your own, but with the support of a coach in your corner you can grow on purpose.
Take great care of yourself. Don't be afraid to be brilliant. Make yourself a priority.
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