What to Expect: When Working With A Professional Life Coach

professional life coach

Understand the role of a life coach

professional life coach - expectationOn the home page of my website, I try to give any prospective clients a clear picture of what a life coach does. We aren’t counselors, therapists, psychologists, or teachers. The goal is to be clear upfront so there aren’t any unrealistic expectations. Human nature dictates that when we go to a professional for help, that they are going to give us the answers.

That is not how coaching works.

A professional life coach doesn’t give you the answer.  What we do is partner with you to come up with the best solutions for you.  You know yourself better than anyone else, a professional life coach helps you to uncover those best solutions by asking powerful questions.

Ready to partner with someone who will help to make lasting changes in your life? Then schedule a Discovery Session with one of our professional life coaches today!

Expect to be held accountable

professional life coach - accountabilityYourdictionary.com defines accountability (noun) as “taking or being assigned responsibility for something that you have done or something you are supposed to do”.

A professional life coach is not your parent, your boss, or your warden. What we are is an accountability partner who will help you stay on track with your goals. Accountability is one of the main reasons that I’ve seen for why clients don’t reach their goals. Getting unstuck is a very common goal of many clients when they first work with a professional coach.  Once they get past being stuck, then it’s time to move toward their actual goals.

A professional life coach is not your parent, your boss, or your warden. Click To Tweet

Expect to be challenged

professional life coach - challengedDon’t let the word “challenge” scare you. The way in which a professional life coach challenges you is always three things:

  • positive,
  • approachable, and
  • respectful.

What we do is challenge any current negative or non-productive beliefs that you have.  These beliefs can be about yourself or a particular situation. The goal is to stretch your current beliefs or energy past your current situation and perceived limitations.

Don’t believe you can get a better job? What about that belief is contributing to your current situation? Or Don’t believe you have any self-control when it comes to food? How has that belief contributed to your current habits?  Getting to the core of those thoughts and beliefs is an important part of your success. You live your life from a point of those thoughts and beliefs.

You live your life from a point of your thoughts and beliefs so make sure they are positive. Click To Tweet

Conclusion

If you want to experience change, a professional life coach has the job of partnering with you to effectively challenge and confront limiting or self-sabotaging thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors.  They aren’t propelling you towards your success. Making changes and progress can be hard and won’t happen overnight. However, you don’t have to do it alone. If you’re ready and sincere, start working with a professional life coach today!

So what are your feelings about working with a professional life coach?  Do you think it’s a good fit for you and your situation?  Let me know!

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Some other blog posts of interest:

Accountability & Working With A Professional Life Coach

 Am I Uncoachable?!

3 Steps to Getting Unstuck

Secret Reasons Why Professional Coaches Are NOT Calling You Back

Overcoming Self-Sabotage: 3 Steps to Take Today

3 Steps to Getting Unstuck

3 steps to getting unstuck

We’ve all been there.  You may be there right now.  You know that place in life where things aren’t terrible (or maybe they are), but nonetheless, you’re juggling/managing everything?

You feel frustrated

You feel angry

You feel stuck

Below are the three basic steps that I recommend to any client who comes to me with that situation.  Here’s how to get unstuck fast!

1. Create Space

getting unstuck - mindfulness and meditation

You may not be able to physically, financially, or environmentally create space where you’re at, but you can create space mentally.  Mindfulness and meditation are where you should start.  Now before you get scared off by what you think these terms mean, know in this day and age mindfulness and meditation practices are very approachable. With videos on YouTube and apps like Headspace, you can learn to meditate and be more mindful in as little as 3 minutes a day!

Mindfulness and meditation are skills. Like any new skills, they will take time to learn and master. Click To Tweet

Mindfulness and meditation are skills.  Like any new skills, they will take time to learn and master.  Just try it out for 7 days for 3 to 10 minutes a day.  You’ll notice more internal calmness and clarity…especially when it comes to mind chatter.  The thought of getting unstuck will become more real to you.  As you become more consistent at mindfulness and meditation practices, you’ll notice things around you begin to change.  The fact is those external things around you likely didn’t change.  You’re internal perspective and perception around those things is what changed.

Here are some books I recommend on this topic:

 

2. Acknowledge & Release

acknowledge and release - getting unstuck

  • Buried in debt?
  • Have a crappy job?
  • In a relationship that has grown stagnant and stale?

Whatever your current situation is acknowledge it.  Now to be clear, acknowledging something in your present environment does not mean accepting it.  Acknowledgment means you are no longer resisting the situation in the conscious mind.

  • Yes, you are in debt!
  • Yes, you have a crappy job!
  • Yes, you are in a relationship that doesn’t seem to have a future!

Ok, now let all of that go.

Remember where you’re currently at does not determine your future.  It just happens to be where you’re at in the present moment.

Remember where you're currently at does not determine your future. It just happens to be where you're at in the present moment. Click To Tweet

I recommend to my clients to only take this step after they have been practicing mindfulness and meditation for a while.  This acknowledgment and release of your current situation, in an objective way, allows you to mentally and energetically disarm the negative energy around the situation.  Disarming that negative energy, and its impact on you, gives you your power back!  This is the power that you need to create change in the next step.

3. Get Clear

get clear - getting unstuck

Lack of progress is often a reflection of a lack of clarity. Click To Tweet

Lack of progress is often a reflection of a lack of clarity.  Where do you want to go?  I have seen many clients start a million things but never make a clear plan of what they plan to do.  This approach usually ends in frustration, anger, and feeling stuck all over again!

Stop doing that. 

Don’t start a million things.

Getting unstuck means that you are going to get really clear about what you want.  Do you want to lose weight?  Get clear about the type of healthy lifestyle you want to lead.  Want to start a successful business? Get clear about the type of business you want to start.  Get clear on how you define success.  Want a fulfilling relationship?  Get clear on what you do and don’t want in a future partner.  If getting clear on your own seems overwhelming, book a Discovery Session with me today.  Working with a professional coach will give you the extra support, accountability, and partnership needed to get unstuck.

These steps may seem simple and they are.  However simple doesn’t mean easy.  Take a few minutes and jot down some things you can do for each step.  How can you create space?  What do you need to acknowledge and release?  What can you get clear about?

Here are some books that l have found useful around getting unstuck:

At the end of the day, you are the first person you must look to for getting unstuck.

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