Coaching is all the rage - the new buzzword - I'm sure you hear about it all the time. Wellness coach, health coach, life coach, business coach, etc., etc. But what in the world is it and what's it about?
The first big misconception is that coaching is like therapy. As someone who has practiced both of these crafts, I can tell you, no, definitely not. Coaching is not therapy or counseling - it is not focused on analyzing the past in order to help solve a present problem, it is about examining where you are in the present, identifying where you want to be in the future/how you want your life to be in the future and working collaboratively on how to get there. I like to describe coaching in two ways:
A coach is like a personal trainer. You can go to the gym on your own and work out - you're totally capable of doing this on your own and succeeding. Having a personal trainer while you work out helps you to stay on track with your goals, stay motivated, and get the work done easier, faster, and without getting hurt. The trainer is someone to hold you accountable to the goals that you agree on together.
Coaching is like taking a journey. You know where you are starting and you know where you want to go. The Coach acts as your guide through the woods/sea/wherever your adventure takes you, to help you stay on the right path, not get lost, and to avoid treacherous obstacles along the way. The Coach is the guide that will light your way.
Coaching is about change. That’s why you’re here right? There’s something in your life you want to change - something that isn’t the way you want it to be. What do you want to change? How do you imagine your life to be different? What makes you smile when you think about it? Coaching helps you to create clarity about what you want to change, where you want to go, and the confidence about how you’re going to get there. You’ll walk away from each session knowing what action you need to take to move forward.
Coaching is about asking questions that take you off of auto pilot and make you think about things you haven’t, see new perspectives, and explore ideas in a way you don’t in normal daily conversations. The goal of these questions is to lead to transformational change. Change that big is a journey! It begins where you are now and ends where you want to be. The gap between those two places is what coaching is all about.