Quote of the Week

"I accept myself, my feelings, and my life circumstance as they are. I blame no one, understanding that I have created what I perceive. In no longer trying to avoid my experience, I make possible the eventual transformation. My love for myself grows because of the courage I show in accepting and facing myself as I am."  -John Ruskan
What is Life Coaching?
Life Coaching provides you with a safe and open environment for self-discovery, the ability to gain clarity and insight into the challenges you face in your life, and take the steps to move forward with the changes that you desire. Life Coaching applies to all areas of your life although many Life Coaches offer specialization in certain areas of focus (i.e. I focus on personal relationships and connecting to your authentic self). A Life Coach is a personal confidant who listens to your needs and desires, offers powerful questions to move you forward, provides effective accountability, and supports your growth and progress without judgment, opinion, advice, bias or interference.
 
How is Life Coaching different from traditional therapy?
A Life Coach is not an advice giver or traditional therapist. Life Coaching assumes that you are a mentally healthy person. The answers you seek already reside within you, coaching provides tools to facilitate the process of gaining clarity and understanding. A Life Coach assists you by engaging your inner higher self, enabling meaningful and conscious choices, and supporting consistent action that aligns with what you truly want. The process of coaching engages two people (You and the Life Coach) together to raise awareness and therefore the ability to act. Life Coaching is more action-oriented and focuses primarily on being in the present moment and looking towards the future. Differences between...
- A therapist helps you discover all the blocks and traumas from your past that have kept you from learning before now, and why you may feel fearful about going forward at this time.
- A consultant gives you all the technical information you want to know and how to use it.
- A mentor explains everything to you as he or she actually does it for you, demonstrating how it's done.
- A Life Coach listens to you on a deeper level, stands by you as you progress through your self-awareness, keeps you steady and helps you discover your balance, gives you gentle push when you need it, provides you with encouragement and acknowledgement, and celebrates your accomplishments.
How might you benefit from working with a Life Coach?
Many times we are our own worst enemies. Discouraging thought patterns, experiencing unacceptable behavior from ourselves or others, feeling generally stuck and unable to see a way to implement change, constantly fighting to get through each day yet feeling completely unsatisfied and exhausted by the end of it - these are all elements of an unbalanced life. A Life Coach offers awareness, encouragement, feedback, information and accountability to help you overcome blocks and discover how to put your body, mind, and spirit into harmony so your entire life will become more meaningful and balanced. You start to see yourself as a whole, balanced, energetic and positive person. The benefits of working with a Life Coach include:
  1. Helps You Focus. We have growth opportunities around us all the time. Life Coaching helps you to put your heart and mind in sync so you become more centered and focused.
  2. Feel Better About Yourself. Learn that taking time for yourself is the most important thing you can do. This is not about being selfish, it is about recognizing and acknowledging your needs so that you achieve a healthy life balance. Experience this empowerment so that you accomplish more than you ever thought possible.
  3. Clarify What You Want From Life. By practicing clarifying and balancing techniques, you find your true path in life. Experiencing your authentic life is easier than you think!
  4. Provide Accountability. A Life Coach provides you with accountability and motivation so you are able to stay on track and follow through with your life plans.
  5. Get In Touch with Your Authentic Self. As you make internal changes to your attitude, the world begins to see you differently. With these changes in perspective, you attract people, things, and events into your life that are in agreement with your own authentic truth.
  6. Decide What Matters Most. You find out what is really important to you and how to create a vision that will make what matters to you a reality.
  7. Create A Support Network. Working with a Life Coach uncovers things that you couldn't, or didn't, allow yourself to see and experience. As you work with your Life Coach, your awareness leads to acceptance which creates action.
  8. Get Spiritually Fit. To be spiritually fit is to know and understand who you truly are from within and how to express this authentically in your thoughts, words and actions.
  9. Create A Plan. Many people are gifted in ways they don't even realize. A Life Coach helps you recognize your own capabilities and how to live your unique plan.
  10. Create Balance. We cannot be our best selves if we are stressed, overwhelmed, unhappy, or confused. A Life Coach helps you take charge of your life, identify opportunities and demonstrate your own authentic experience.
 What is involved in a typical life coaching session?
A typical life coaching relationship begins with a complimentary intake session between the Life Coach and the Client (You). This intake session is helpful to define the Client's needs and desires, identify areas for improvement, and get a feel for the Client's synergy with the Life Coach. Then the Life Coach and Client meet via phone or in person on a weekly or bi-weekly basis for a 45-minute coaching session. Typically a Life Coach and Client will work together for a minimum of three months so that the coaching process has time to develop and progress is recognizable. Some Clients have Life Coaches for a few months, some have Life Coaches for a few years - the process is all about meeting the Client's individual needs.