What are the benefits of working with a life coach? By Bob Foster, Bristol (0117) 9561162

Why use a Life-Coach?

Why is life-coaching so popular today? There are several reasons:

People are less willing to wait for 'then' or 'the future' to make the most of their life. Good or bad, people want success, happiness, joy and achievement now; and they want it faster than ever. They will hire a life-coach to accelerate this process and reach their goals faster.

People are acutely interested in being sustainably happy. Finding that special job, lifestyle, new skill set or meaningful project is reason enough to hire a life-coach. They want help in finding a compelling vision for their future and move forward very, very quickly, even if it means big changes in their life.

People want to get ahead faster at work or in their business. A life-coach or business coach can act as mentor, catalyst and source of support; whatever the client needs to get them to where they want to go.

The following is taken from the "Top 10 Reasons To Hire A Coach", by the late Thomas J. Leonard, Founder of Coachville.

1. You will set far better goals that motivate you.

Your coach will help you to identify and set the goals that you really want, not the shoulds, pipedreams and goals of your parents or society. Your coach will help you clarify your personal values, so that you have something really solid on which to develop your goals. When your goals are based on the things you value most, they are more naturally motivating.

2. Accomplish goals, tasks and projects much more quickly.

You can learn how to be far more effective, efficient and productive in everything that you do.

3. Make fewer mistakes in your business life or in your personal life.

With a coach, you don't have to learn everything from your mistakes. This takes too long and is expensive! Mistakes are more costly nowadays what with the greater pace of change. Your coach will keep an eye on you and help you make better decisions, reducing the risk of mistakes. Working with a coach can be like taking out insurance against making mistakes!

4. Move up to the next level of your professional and personal life.

Almost everybody is moving up a ladder of some sort - business success, personal development, awareness and emotional balance, for example. Your coach can help you see where you are right now and point out ways to grow and get where you want to get to. Or, if you're not even on the ladder, the coach can guide you to the right one, or at least the one that's leaning against the right wall, and help you get started on your path (please excuse the mixed metaphors!).

5. Reduce the number of problems you have and better resolve those that are left.

The first step in solving a problem is to ask yourself why you have this problem at all. The second step is to ask yourself why you have problems at all. The third step is to get on track to having no problems - being a Problem Free Zone (PFZ). This is not a joke. Being a PFZ is becoming even more important along the path of sustainable success. Life's too short and problems are too expensive.

6. Make more money in your career, profession or business.

Clients don't keep paying their coaches just for the fun of it. Although money isn't everything, coaching can help you to improve the financial bottom line. You can work with your coach on, for example, getting a raise, choosing a better career, starting a business, improving profitability, adding more value to your customers, proper pricing, productivity and more.

7. You'll be a lot happier and this happiness will last.

Coaches know how to help you to reduce stress, integrate all aspects of your life, simplify or downshift, and reorient around what makes you the happiest. What good is increased productivity and profitability if you're not happy?

8. You'll be much more effective and influential with others: family, business and personal relationships.

A coach can help you to come across better, relate well with others, listen aggressively, influence, coach, motivate and support others.

9. You'll become much more attractive to others - on the inside and on the outside.

Selling, as a profession and as a proven technique/process, is having to change dramatically. Why? Because humans are getting better at choosing for themselves and buying better. Humans will respond less to advertising and selling techniques and instead be drawn to a product or service and they will be more likely drawn because of who is offering the product or service. This process has been called attraction - and it's real. It works. And it will replace much of the promotion, marketing, selling, seducing and other very expensive budget items. Attraction is the next generation of selling and the well-trained coach can help you and your business get on this track immediately.

10. You'll have a better life, not just a better lifestyle.

The term Quality of Life has become overused in the past few years, but the trend of seeking to create a much better life is accelerating. In fact, people are re-examining what they had assumed that a good life was (married, 2.3 kids, nice car, secure job, 4 weeks of vacation a year) and are now creating their own life, often breaking the rules and flying in the face of conventional wisdom in the process.

[ Next: have a look at what is "Working with your coach" ]

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