Many will respond with something like, “Why would I need a life coach?” Or, “Why would I hire someone to tell me what to do with my life?”
Ask a regular person on the street if they have ever heard of a life coach and they will generally give you a strange look on their face.
Yet every year many people struggle with that exact problem. In fact, every year more than half a million people search Google for things like “What should I do with my life?” Or, “How to find my life purpose”. The truth is that millions of people are having a hard time figuring out what they should do with their life, how to find their career path, how to get their finances in order, and how to create healthy relationships.
Life Coaching Is Not Counseling
Life coaching is like what therapy was fifty years ago in that it was a bit taboo to go to someone and talk about your problems. But these days, counseling and therapy is booming and widely accepted by the public.
The problem is that these professionals can only help their clients with emotional and psychological issues they created from their past. They are not trained to help people move forward and figure out how to accomplish their goals. A life coach is the next evolutionary step in the counseling process because once someone has dealt with their past issues, then a coach can step in and help them move forward.
Does Life Coaching Create Results?
Like any industry, there are some great and not so great professionals that represent the entire network of service providers. Therefore results can vary widely depending on who you end up working with. Another key factor that plays a big role in the results one will obtain is the work they do.
“Life coaches cannot do the work for you,” says Alex Miller who runs a website that connects coaches with clients. “It does not matter how good the coach is. If you do not do the work, then you will not see results. Think of it in the same way as an athletic coach: They can tell you what to do but you still have to do it.”
This is why some people argue that coaches may not be worth it because they are confused with the notion that if they hire someone, everything in their life will turn out okay. This could not be furthest from the truth. In the end, it is the responsibility of the client to lead their own life while their coach gives them direction and reflection. In essence, a coach can be very valuable should the client invest the time in doing the necessary work suggested.
The True Value of Life Coaching
One of the key values a life coach can provide is helping clients to see blind spots. Very often, when people become stuck, it is because they are overwhelmed by all of the thoughts and decisions they must make to answer very difficult questions.
By having a life coach available, they are able to provide a very powerful perspective to help one gain clarity so that they may be able to make better decisions on how to move forward in their life. This can save someone years of going down the wrong path.
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