Coaching- Learn All You Need To Know

Numerous different people ask me this question, so I deemed it might be great fun to gather together some of the responses I give and turn them into this article!

Usually the question has the hint of: "Where can I categorize it?" occasionally taking the form: "Is it like (e.g.) psychotherapy or counseling?" and at times comes with interesting preconceptions, express or implicit. "Ah yes, you're the people who encourage people who mean to make lots of money" …

Usually people's idea of what coaching is has some point of contact with (my) coaching reality, but there are generally some gaps to fill in, and that is where the excitement starts!

The immediate answer is that it's helping someone to accomplish a better life, whatever that might signify to that person.

"So coaches fix stuff?" people frequently ask. At times, yes. If someone is in a bad way, whether it be emotionally, physically or financially, it's sensible to consider coaching as the resolving of a problem. For instance, for many people, the topic "health" is - initially - about moving away from something really undesirable, such as kilos, cigarettes or low self-esteem.

However, for the majority of people who see a coach, it's not about getting out of a hole, but climbing to the peak of the mountain, because they are aware that the sight from the top will be so wonderful. Several people have a vision, or know that simply having a vision to work in the direction of will make a big positive difference to their experience on this planet. For these people, life wasn't meant to be "OK", but "great!"

Certainly, no-one said you were not permitted to jump out of the hole and just keep climbing up the mountain - we coaches are a really patient lot :)

I have had people who have come as the only options that they could see were misery or medicine. And others who treasured an amazing and convincing dream, and wanted to ensure that they got there. Not astonishingly, they're just the ends of a spectrum; a number of people present themselves as "in-betweens" too (although nowadays you may observe some of them in the outdoor shops trying out the climbing gear.)

One thing I frequently hear is: "I've got a friend who genuinely needs a life coach!" Frankly, nobody needs a life coach (everyone's entitled to a mediocre and unfulfilling life, after all!), but everyone could be benefitted from one. The "friend who needs a life coach" seldom sees it the same way, of course!

Part of the reason for this may lie in this definition of a prospective coaching client: someone who not only

• needs to change some feature of their life for the better,
but also

• wants to be engaged in the process of accomplishing that
and that, unfortunately, is what makes a lot of people opt out (of coaching, and of life on the whole).

A coach does not modify your stuff; a coach assists you find the drive, the direction, the tools and the confidence to make that transformation.

What is it that people usually choose to change? Well, there's health wealth relationships career emotions business wellbeing romance share-trading family spiritual stuff direction and of course plenty of other opportunity ... and yes, you're allowed into the restaurant even before you've read the menu!

So how's it done?

Alchemy!

Live the difference Life Coaching is based in Melbourne which offers transformational one-on-one coaching both face-to-face and on the phone. People come from all walks of life and live in and around Melbourne, interstate and overseas. Visit http://livethedifference.com.au for more information on Life Coach