what does a Lifecoach do?

WHAT IS LIFE COACHING ?

INITIAL CONSULTATIONS ARE FREE

Imagine having someone who believes in you and your ability totally. Someone who wants you to do really well in life, and who will cheer you on at every opportunity. A motivational and inspirational force who will assist you in moving forward with renewed self belief and life clarity. A catalyst that will bring out the very best in you.

A Life Coach assists you in making your life as amazing as it possibly can be. A Coach does this by assisting you in identifying what you want and what stops you getting it. You will then be provided with perfectly tailored tools that will move you past any previous barriers to your success. Success though to a Coach is not just financial wealth, but a life balance where you can appreciate and enjoy your wealth, with a joyful happiness in all life areas.

WHAT TYPE OF ISSUES DOES A LIFE COACH WORK WITH ?

This varies enormously depending on the Coach and their experience. Some clients come to sort out a specific problem, others prefer a coach to work with them in a more holistic way, using a whole person approach.

Clients might want to:

Feel differently.
Explore their life purpose.
Make the most of their lives.
Have a life that is fresh, exciting and invigorating.
Build and maintain self-confidence, self-acceptance and self-esteem
Reach a deeper understanding of themselves.
Overcome a phobia that is holding them back.
Build the skills they need for a certain situation.
Build the skills needed to present confidently and effectively.
Change career.
Experience relief from worry and stress.
Build the confidence needed to return to work after time spent at home with children.
Break and banish depression.
Pursue a career in Psychology, Life Coaching or Counselling.

WHAT DOES A LIFE COACH DO ?

Life Coaches work in a variety of areas and with a number of approaches, you will find executive, flirt, personal, success, happiness, confidence and relationship coaches to name but a few.

As a personal coach I work first and foremost to understand you, and what YOU want from Coaching. Together we will identify and explore your dreams, values, and desires in life. Next we will build goals that will inspire and motivate you to enable you to get what you want and need. I will work with you to break through any barriers to success that might have held you back in the past. We can also work to build and maintain the self-confidence and self-esteem you need to be the best you, you can be. I will help you to live a balanced, authentic and irresistible life with increasing enjoyment and fulfilment.

WHAT BENEFITS CAN I EXPECT FROM LIFE COACHING ?

I believe that Life Coaching works best when focused on the whole person, although issues such as presentation anxiety can be sorted out pretty rapidly without the need to explore your lifestyle or future desires.

Some benefits you can expect with this type of Coaching include:

More happiness and joy in your life.
An increased understanding of yourself and belief in yourself.
Renewed motivation, confidence and energy in your life.
More enjoyment out of life, especially the challenges!
Increased excitement in life and the confidence to go out and get what you want.
A renewed belief in your values, abilities, skills and capabilities.
To identify your core strengths.
Discovery of new abilities, skills, qualities and capabilities.
Empowerment to reach your potential.
Increased potential for wealth generation.
A significant reduction of worry and stress.
An ability to break depression, old habits and patterns of thinking and behaving that are holding you back.

HOW DO I FIND THE RIGHT LIFE COACH FOR ME ?

I title the question ‘the right coach for me’, as the best coach may not always be the right coach! At the moment in the UK anybody can call themselves a Life-Coach and anybody can claim that they are qualified to train people to be life coaches! There is no governing body that can give you any guarantees. My advice is to trust your own judgement and consider the following issues when choosing a coach:

A Life Coach should treat you with respect and consideration, and if you are to work well together you should be able to imagine yourself being able to open up to this person. They will not criticize you negatively or pass judgement on you or your lifestyle choices. A Life Coach is there to identify your strengths and provide you with the tools to build more. A competent Life Coach knows that clients already have what they need to succeed inside themselves, there is nothing broken and so nothing needs to be fixed. A Coaches job is ultimately to assist you in achieving the confidence to be the best you can be. Once you identify and appreciate your own uniqueness, your talents, abilities and skills then the Coaches job is to use their knowledge to make the process of achieving what you want as easy and enjoyable as possible.

Ask friends for recommendations or try out a coach, some offer free introductory sessions and this initial time with them can help you make your decision on whether the coach is right for you. Initially I would advise that you refrain from paying large amounts of money for long blocks of sessions upfront, at least until you know that you like working with them. You will not be saving money if you don’t use up all the sessions!

HOW MANY SESSIONS WILL I NEED ?

This will vary depending on what aspects you want to work on and your individual circumstances. Some people visit a Life Coach only two or three times a year for a top up and re-evaluation. Others will visit a Coach on a weekly, two weekly or monthly basis. It is entirely up to you as to how many sessions you take, the Life Coach works for you!

HOW IS NEURO-LINGUISTIC PROGRAMMING RELATED TO LIFE COACHING?

Neuro Linguistic Programming or NLP, and Life Coaching compliment each other perfectly as both systems work to inspire positive change that will increase life well-being and happiness. Both take a positive approach and focus on the present and future rather than keeping on going back to the past. I believe that NLP provides a coach with an expanded network of powerful ideas, tools and creative abilities that make positive change and discovery a far easier process, and that far surpass any basic training in Life Coaching alone. Of course the more areas of study that a coach has applied themselves to, the better equipped they are to assist you. Psychology, Business training or experience, Life Coaching, NLP, Psychotherapy, Counselling, Communication skills, all these areas and more contribute to the expansive knowledge required to provide the most effective coaching. You can find an NLP Life Coach and further information on NLP Life Coaching or NLP Life Excellence Coaching on the web with a search on google. Click on the link below to NLP Connections for stimulating discussion on all aspects NLP.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE COACHING AND COUNSELLING ?

Life Coaching and Counselling share some important aspects, such as being able to talk openly in a safe and caring environment. Both demand listening skills, empathy and respect for the client as expert (although some counselling approaches continue to view the client as a patient).

There are however a number of differences between a Life Coach and a traditional Counsellor. A Counsellor attempts to fix problems, whilst a Life Coach assists you in identifying new opportunities and getting more enjoyment from the life you have now, and will achieve in the future. A Counseller will work to help you deal with the past, and to assist you in overcoming the effects of a trauma or life crisis. A life coach focuses on the present and future, and assists you in moving forward no matter what your past experience. A coach does not have to know anything about your past to move you forward, going backwards is not something everybody needs or desires.

ARE THERE SPECIALIST LIFE COACHES WORKING IN DIFFERENT AREAS ?

A search of Life Coaching on the web will give you an idea of all the different types of Life Coaches out there, mainly in the areas of personal coaching or business coaching. Whether you want to employ a personal coach, a business coach, a success coach, a happiness coach, a self-esteem coach, a confidence coach, a dating coach or even a flirt coach, you will find a lifecoach specific to your needs! Trust your own judgement and don’t be afraid to try out a few coaches so that you can make an informed decision and get the right Life Coach for you.

WHERE CAN I FIND MORE INFORMATION ON PERSONAL OR BUSINESS COACHING?

A google or yahoo search on the web will give you countless results and a great deal of information. I have included a few links below to start you off.

I would be very pleased to receive your feedback on this article, and to know if you have any suggestions for improvement or have a question I have not covered. I hope to hear from you one day, and in the meantime be well, live happy and the very best of wishes for your future.

LINKS

COACHING LINKS:

GENIUS CATALYST

http://www.geniuscatalyst.com/

Michael Neill - Paul Mckenna's coach. Fantastic site full of tips, videos and helpful information.

THE THINKING COACH

http://www.thethinkingcoach.com/

LIFE-COACH TIPS

http://www.life-coach-tips.co.uk/

Lots of tips and articles on life coaching, self help, stress and anxiety etc.

http://www.thecoaches.com

The Coaches Training Institute