What is life-coaching?

Life-coaching is a means of bridging the gap between where you are now and where you want to be. It often involves clarifying those two first.

Life-coaching works through a dynamic partnership focussed entirely on the client and the client’s agenda. Our lives have become so complex, opportunities so plentiful, that exploring what’s important to us as individuals and our own unique situation is the quickest and often the only way to know exactly what to change and how to change it. And to identify and move beyond those things that are holding us back from the lives we really want.

In life-coaching, people experience significant shifts in their lives. They become clearer on who they are and what they need in their lives to be fulfilled. Living the live that’s truly right for them, it all becomes easier, more joyful. They also get to do, be or have more of what they want or need in every conceivable area. Better than this, they do so more quickly and easily, with more enjoyment and far less stress. They go from being driven by need to inspired by their goals or life. And they create the conditions to easily sustain this easier, happier way of living.

Clarity  

Coaching often starts by exploring what the person really wants. Even when people believe they know this, greater clarity and self-awareness emerge through coaching. And sometimes, people discover different aspirations, ones that make them want to leap out of bed each morning.

The focus of coaching and the skills and objectivity of our coach enable us to know ourselves more fully than ever before. And, rather like a sports coach watching an athlete, a trained listener hears and reflects back to us subtle and fleeting clues to our unique motivations, like a change in voice tone or energy level.

Growth

What we learn about ourselves through coaching will include our potential and gifts, but also anything we may have previously avoided. A priceless benefit of having a coach is that an independent professional with your best interests at heart will tell you necessary truths when others won’t – and tell it within a context of genuine praise and belief in you and your ability to change that makes it easier to hear.

As coaching proceeds clients come to feel more and more comfortable in their lives. However, like anything that stretches you, coaching won’t always feel comfortable. Your coach will challenge you and ask more of you than you would of yourself. You needn’t accept all your coach’s requests but once you choose to commit to something, your coach will hold you to it – and to being the best you can be. As coaching progresses, you will know from your actions that you are indeed capable of more. 

You’ll make choices and step outside your comfort zone. But you will do so far more easily than you otherwise would and witness your comfort zone rapidly expand. Any temporary discomfort is vastly outweighed by the delight of leaping over hurdles you wouldn’t even have approached before. And of living a life that really suits you.

Holistic and sustainable

When we know what we really want for ourselves, we have more energy, focus and direction. Regular coaching builds momentum, sustains inspiration and enables people to be consistently at their best. Clients mobilize more effective resources and discover the quickest, easiest and most enjoyable way forward.

All coaching is holistic – no goal is allowed to become more important than the person. Coaching often includes building or fine-tuning an environment and support systems so that they provide the structure that ensures your on-going ease, sparkle and success. It may involve streamlining, to reclaim energy drained off in secondary activities. And it frequently leads to better resources, be they cutting edge tools for personal development, connections or whatever else will be most useful at that time.

What does life-coaching cover?  

Any or all aspects of your life. Some people come for specific issues (such as health, relationships, finances or a transition) or projects (like creating a new life or developing a seminar program). Some come to enjoy more what they’ve already got, to fine-tune some aspects of their life or for self-development. Others are drawn to coaching by a general dissatisfaction or a sense that something could be better. And some create more space for themselves and for spontaneous, joyous action by cutting back on their commitments.

What’s coaching like?

Coaching sessions are friendly, relaxed but focussed and amazingly powerful on many levels. Most coaching takes place through regular, pre-arranged telephone sessions. Email coaching can also be very effective and my clients benefit from both, with email coaching between calls.

Linda Markley, First published www.chisuk.org.uk, October 02