No professional or amateur sports team from the NFL to little league baseball would even think about trying to play without a coach. Professional athletes with years of experience under their belt still rely on entire coaching staffs to keep them in competitive shape. Even businesses have embraced the idea of professional coaches and individuals who want to get in shape almost invariably hire a personal trainer to get them there. In fact, there are almost no areas of life in which it can't be beneficial to hire a "guru" or guide to help you get where you want to go. For many people this can include hiring a life coach.
What is a Life Coach?
A life coach is simply a person who helps you get where you want to go. In reality, we already use the services of a wide range of people that could accurately be called a "coach." We often call them "agents" or "consultants" but the truth is, they are simply people with expertise in a certain arena that help guide us through different events and experiences. If you were getting married, you might hire a wedding planner to help walk you through the process of planning a wedding. If you want to go on vacation, you might hire a travel agent to help you plan it out. A real estate agent walks you through the process of buying or selling a home. A life coach is simply a person who guides you through the process of getting where you want to go or achieving what you want to achieve. The caveat to this, of course, is that in order to get where you want to go, you have to know where you want to go.
Reasons to Get a Life Coach
No matter who you are or what you do, chances are good you could be better at it. No matter what stage of life you are in, there is also a good chance you are facing challenges and obstacles you don't know how to overcome in order to get to the next level or next "thing" in your life. If you are trying to start your own business, you may not know where to start or how to begin. You may think you need a business coach for this and somewhere along the line you might. The truth is, however, in order to have something to invest in a new company or business, you have to free up time, energy and resources in your own life to accomplish it. A life coach can help you figure out how to do that.
Conversely, you may actually already be a high level executive or have your own successful business but are struggling to come to grips with achieving a proper work and life balance. A life coach can help you find better balance. You may have a passion for writing but struggle with having the confidence to believe that anyone would want to read what you write. A life coach can help you overcome your fears and doubts. There are a lot of parallels between a business coach and a life coach, but one of the primary differences is that a business coach can help you and your organization, while a life coach will focus almost solely on you. You can think of the differences like that of a football coach and that of a personal trainer. One focuses mostly on the team, while the other focuses specifically on you.
Finding a Life Coach Locally
There are many ways to find a local life coach, but one of the best is to ask family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances. Remember that there are generally no licensing organizations for life coaches, so you will want to make sure you have plenty of references before hiring one. A great way to start is by finding someone who has worked with a good one. You will also want someone that specializes in your area of challenge. For instance if you are a busy executive struggling to achieve work life balance, you may want to find a life coach that also has a family and understands your unique challenges. If you are trying to start a business, you might want to find a life coach that has started a few businesses of their own. Remember, a life coach is a type of guide and they can't lead you where they have never been.
