Life Coaching is a fast growing industry. Many people, including myself, have quit their day jobs in pursuit of a career as a Life Coach. But a lot of people don't even know what it is, so why should they be willing to spend their hard-earned money on it? I definitely understand that, so it is important for me to do my part to educate everyone about what coaching is, the different types of coaching, and more importantly why you should consider trying it.
My Experience Explaining Coaching
When I proudly share with others that I am a Life Coach I tend to get one of two responses. First, there are the people who furrow their eyebrows, look confused, tilt their head sideways, and say "Oh... so what is a Life Coach?" Then there are the people whose eyes brighten wide with excitement and say "Oh how wonderful!... So what is a Life Coach?" Everywhere I go I have to explain. Which I LOVE to do because I also happen to love my job, and I want everyone to know how amazing coaching is and to at least consider if they could benefit from it.
What is Life Coaching?
Life Coaches work with you to identify and define goals, create actionable plans to reach them, and provide advice and support to overcome roadblocks on your journey to achieving those goals. Life Coaching can help with virtually any problem in your life whether personal, professional, tangible, or intangible. For example if you want to foster a better relationship with someone, to feel more fulfilled in your career, to lose weight, or to overcome feelings of depression - coaching can help with ALL types of goals.
A good coach is an expert at identifying underlying issues and root causes, is focused on finding positive solutions, and provides a non-judgmental and supportive atmosphere that you can be yourself in. They are good listeners and active supporters. They help you feel empowered to make positive changes, to try new things, or to think in a different way until you find the right combination of adjustments that work for you in your life and give you the results you need.
As a Life Coach I Have 4 Roles:
1) Discovery. I want to be a sounding board for clients to work through their thoughts and feelings. To help them discover more about themselves - their personality, values, priorities, likes and dislikes. The discovery phase is incredibly important because it sets the stage for understanding what your goals really are, and more importantly why you want to make them.
2) Planning. I want to work with clients to create a plan that is realistic and also makes sense to them personally. A plan that you don't agree with will not be motivating. Plans are likely to take people outside of their comfort zone, but they should do so with a lot of small milestones to build up towards reaching that larger goal.
3) Support. I want my clients to know that I am on their side. That I am rooting for them and genuinely care about their success. Sometimes we don't always get the support that we need from family or friends, and we really need someone to be there for us. I want my client's to know that I am with them 100% of the way.
4) Education. A big part of the benefit of hiring a Life Coach is in being offered new ways of looking at things - new mindsets, viewpoints, perspectives, and new tools or techniques. Shifting the way you handle or look at a problem will teach you the skills to overcome new ones instead of just focusing on solving the problem at hand. One way the benefit was explained to me and it really rings true is "you can't change yourself or your results without changing your thinking, and you can't change your thinking without being exposed to new ideas."
Types of Coaching
There are a lot of different types of Coaches, and they can "niche down" to get extremely specific about what kind of goals they help with. If you want a 'Christian Relationship Coach' or a 'Men's CEO Coach' I guarantee you can find one. There are even coaches specific to dog owners and pregnant women!
You can look at the list of the most common types of coaches below, but if you want to discuss multiple issues or you don't want to hone-in on just one specific topic a general 'Life Coach' can help you navigate multiple types of issues and is a good option. (I personally think that it's more important to find a life coach with values and a coaching style that matches with you more than a specific title.)
Some Common types of Coaching are:
-Business/Entrepreneurship
-Career
-Fitness
-Happiness
-Health & Wellness
-Leadership/Executive
-Mental Health
-Relationship/Family/Dating
-Spiritual
-Transitional (life changes)
What is a Happiness Coach?
I am Happiness Life Coach. To me happiness means discovering who you are, learning to love yourself inside and out, building healthy and supportive relationships, doing what you love, finding a good work-life balance, and especially in feeling empowered to make positive changes in your life and to go after what happiness means to you. So that is exactly what I focus on during my coaching.
Whether you decide to look for a specific type of coach or a general one, I think what is important is that you explore the person's content - their website, articles, and especially their philosophy on coaching. You want to make sure that you like their personality, and that the messages they convey resonate with you.
What have you got to lose?
I highly encourage you to give Life Coaching a try. The worst thing that can happen is that you discover that it isn't for you. And you never know, a few hours of coaching just might change your life. As a bonus you can tell your friends and family that you have your own Personal Life Coach (sounds pretty cool right?). And then when they furrow their eyebrows and tilt their heads you can fill them in! Need more convincing? Check out 6 Reasons to Try Life Coaching to learn more.
You can also Schedule a Free Consultation to talk more specifically about how coaching can help you with your goals. I would love to talk with you!
I hope that you enjoyed my article - if so please give me a heart below ❤ and make sure you follow me on Facebook to keep up to date with all my latest articles and book reviews.
Amanda Aten
Happiness & Wellbeing Life Coach
I will help you to set goals, get motivated, and really hone in on the roadblocks that are preventing you from succeeding - whether it is for a personal, relationship, career, or health oriented goal I will be a friend in your corner rooting for you and guiding you along the way!