What is Coaching?

Coaching is a life changing opportunity that empowers you to take control of your future!

More than ever before, people from all walks of life are seeking the help of a Personal Coach to hold them accountable to reach the results they are after – whatever those may be.

Coaching is a growing element in peoples lives, as the principles that underpin it can be applied to individuals, teams, small businesses and corporations, as well as teenagers who struggle with their identities.

You might wonder what coaching really does and how it can be used towards your own personal goals, so here is an overview of coaching.

What coaching is not

Coaching is not Psycho-Therapy, Counseling, Mentoring or Consultancy. Below are some examples to make the difference between these disciplines more clear:

• A Therapist might work with those who are seen as “damaged” or “dysfunctional” in some way as a result of a previous trauma or experience which makes their day-to-day lives very difficult for them; a Therapist might thus help a Client to explore their past in order to uncover what is stopping them from what they want to achieve

• A Counselor might work with those who are experiencing significant levels of distress which is impacting their everyday life; a Counselor might thus listen to the concerns and anxieties Clients have about what they want to achieve

• A Mentor might work with those who are seeking direction from someone with experience and knowledge in the same area; a Mentor thus is likely to share their own experience on what the Client wants to achieve, while offering handy tips and hints to help them

• A Consultant might work with those who are looking to diagnose the problems they are facing and recommend the solution to their current challenges; a Consultant is thus likely to give the Client clear, logical advice about how to best achieve what they are looking for

What a coach does

• A Coach works with those who have a desire to move forward in their lives and achieve their ambitions; a Coach will thus encourage and support the Client while they are working towards their goals and achievements so that the Client becomes the best achiever they can be.

If coaching is appropriate for your tennis or golf game, shouldn’t it be appropriate for your game of life, too?

Coaching is a form of personal development. Life coaches believe in the great possibilities of human potential. They know that for many it is undiscovered. Some of us know we have the potential because we’ve seen it flash on the screen of our minds-even if only for a moment. We are just not aware of the opportunity or possibility whereby we can unleash it. Some of us feel it and know it, but sadly don’t believe it can become a reality. That’s the difference between being the author of our lives instead of it being scripted by others. We are all put on this earth with a purpose and a passion in life. What is yours? What do you really want? What do you really need? What is preventing you from having it?

Change that right now. Think about what you really want. For some of us, it may take a while because we have closed our minds to using our imagination–but what if…? Dare to dream and dare to imagine what it would feel and look like to have what it is that you truly want right now. Play it in your mind-feel it with all your senses. If the WHY is BIG enough, the HOW will then SHOW itself because you have finally made the decision, and for you there is no going back.

Here’s an example. You want to lose weight. You have tried every diet known to mankind only to predictably give up. You are sick of feeling bloated and fat. It has had a negative effect on other areas of your life. You don’t feel attractive to your mate. You don’t want to see your family because they will make comments. You feel physically lousy, and you can’t fit into your work clothes. (They no longer move with you, you move with them.) You know that the weight gain has impacted at least four areas of your life: romance, family, health, and work.

Imagine now how those other areas of life would change for the better if you were able to achieve the weight loss goal that you set for yourself. What does each area look like? Play a mind movie in your head. What if…?

Read more on coaching on Wikipedia and on About.com and the Harvard Business Review for coaching that relates to the corporate environment.

“We generally change ourselves for one of two reasons: inspiration or desperation. Allow yourself to become inspired by coaching!”