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The questions I am asked the most frequently about life coaching are, what is a life coach? And what does a life coach do? What is a life coach? Have you ever hired a personal trainer because you struggled to find the motivation to achieve and maintain your fitness goals? Whether a lack of time, resources, or just plain interest, there were obstacles in your way. Maybe your feelings of embarrassment or inadequacy kept you out of the gym and hiding out at home. Whatever your physical or mental limitations were regarding exercise, your trainer showed up for you and pushed you to lose weight, gain muscle, and get healthier. A life coach is a lot like this; only they help their clients by looking at you and your life through a much wider lens. As the term suggests, life coaches help their clients with areas of their lives that they want to focus on and improve. Life coaches help their clients achieve their goals by supporting them through identifying and transcending their perceived limitations.
A life coach is a wellness professional who helps people reach their fullest potential. And while there are countless professionals, CEOs, entrepreneurs, and business leaders who have stepped into these roles confidently, thanks to life coaching, coaching is not limited to areas like careers, finances, and leadership. Instead, life coaching is for anyone looking to find greater fulfillment and/or performance in any or all areas of their life.
To answer the question, "what is a life coach?" with total definitiveness is not entirely possible. Everyone in this life has different goals, aspirations, and ways of learning and doing. For this reason, life coaches are trained to listen to you and your needs. Then, life coaches help you to create strategies by targeting your unique skills and gifts, helping you make the most of your current strengths while building on the ones you need to create lasting life changes.
So while this will all undoubtedly look different for everyone, and life coaching may seem too broad from an outside perspective to get the clearest picture, the best way to think of a life coach is this: your motivator, strategist, and accountability partner. Whether it is improving your relationships or maximizing time in your day-to-day life, whatever greater fulfillment means to you is what life coaches help you achieve.
Why should I consider working with a life coach?
Many people seek life coaches when they need some support or guidance navigating major life changes. But, in other cases, they are still seeking that something, and they need help working through the barriers keeping them from getting there, whether it is a new career or finding a loving life partner.
By far, one of the most incredible things about life coaching is that it is suitable even for those who do not know what they are looking for. So many people look to work with life coaches because coaches can help them identify their passions before assisting them in carving out a path for what's next.
What types of life coaches are there?
For those seeking help in specific areas of their life, there are many types of life coaching, including:
- Relationships and Family life
- Spirituality
- Health and fitness
- Financial
- Career
- Personal Development and Performance
- Recreation and life balance
That said, many life coaches take a more comprehensive approach, as most people turn to life coaching because, in general, they desire more happiness, meaning, and better performance in their lives.
What is the impact of life coaching on clients?
One of the first things most people gain and realize about working with a life coach is that they were able to offer them a new perspective on their problems or focus areas. From that point, life coaches help you achieve success in an effective, straightforward way by honing in on your negative patterns - mental or behavioral - and developing new goals and methods of being and thinking in their place.
To get a better idea of some of the positive results that clients achieve through life coaching, here are a few:
- More fulfilling work life and better work/life balance
- Deepened relationships
- Improved communication
- Letting go of fears and doubts
- Enhanced financial security
- Elimination of barriers interfering with finding or maintaining romantic relationships
A life coach is a person who meets you where you are. A life coach guides you from and through your current situation so you can get to where you want to be.
What else can life coaching help me with?
Many people who seek life coaches face a lot of the same issues and struggles. For instance, those who struggle to break bad habits or experience a general sense of blocked creativity can benefit considerably from life coaching.
Other individuals hire life coaches because they feel unfulfilled in their social or romantic life. And many seek out coaching to help them work through their constant feelings of discontent at their job so they can overcome whatever is holding them back from a more fulfilling career.
Finally, life coaching is a great resource for people who suffer from high levels of anxiety or stress and find themselves persistently feeling irritable and unhappy. However, it is important to note that a life coach is not certified to treat these types of conditions if you are dealing with serious mental health issues.
What is the difference between a therapist and a life coach?
While there are certainly some similarities between the impact that therapy and life coaching can have on an individual, it's important to draw the line between them and note that each serves a unique purpose.
Therapists are licensed professionals trained to treat trauma and various mental health conditions from anxiety and mood disorders, personality disorders, and addiction. Unlike life coaches, mental health professionals must follow certain regulations and ethical codes and participate in continuing education. On the other hand, life coaches do not need to follow any of these same laws or receive formal qualifications or training.
That said, if you are looking to work with a life coach in Denver, you should work with someone who is certified and has hours of training under their belt because they will know how best to work with and help you.
One of the biggest overlaps between working with a life coach and participating in therapy is that both are trained to help you improve your well-being and deal with unresolved issues. In addition, both have the overall goal of helping you break through barriers that keep you from living your full potential; only there is a critical distinction to be made between the types of barriers. In other words, do not see a life coach in Denver if you need to address serious mental health issues.
10 Reasons Why Life Coaching is So Effective
1. Certified life coaches can help you develop your personal or professional life. Life coaches don't just provide solutions to specific problems then leave you to apply them. Instead, they stay by your side to help you integrate their expert advice and changes into your daily life to ensure you succeed. 2. Coaches can shed light on things their clients can't see or provide new perspectives on what they can see. It's helpful to have an objective professional who isn't caught up in your thoughts, experiences, or beliefs as you are and can see things from a "helicopter lens." 3. Life coaches aren't biased or judgemental, whereas, with friends, we might risk hurting someone or just feel uncomfortable sharing important bits of information. This isn't to say a meeting with a life coach will entail going in-depth about your relationships, but you want to have a safe space where you can bring up and work through whatever is necessary to make progress. While it is important to have friends to turn to at certain points in life, your friends are meant for friendship, not aiding you in your self-development. 4. Life coaches work from where you are now to meet future objectives. They won't spend time digging up past issues unless it comes up for you. And if it does, they can help you resolve them. If they cannot, a life coach can help refer you to someone who can help you overcome those hurdles first. 5. Life coaches work quickly because they are ready and excited to see you succeed just as much as you are. They don't rush through their work or methods; they just know how to set goals that will help you start taking action and seeing results. People like to work with life coaches because they know how to solve problems and overcome mental or emotional blockages effectively and quickly. There isn't anyone in the world who hasn't faced setbacks in life, and life coaches know how to help you transcend your best intentions to achieve your goals. 6. As I mentioned before, you can think of your life coach as your accountability buddy. And when it comes to motivation, they know what to do and say to help you find and maintain it. In other words, they know the words you need to hear. In addition, life coaches will typically implement weekly calls to keep you on track, ensuring you are making efforts. 7. Apart from helping you realize your skillset and setting professional and personal goals to move forward in certain areas of your life, at the end of the day, life coaches serve as a great sounding board for your difficult situations and decisions. For example, if you feel stuck at your job and there is another job or even career path you want to strive for, your life coach can help you identify the self-doubts and self-limiting beliefs holding you back. In this way, they help you cultivate a more profound sense of self-awareness. 8. Your life coach is your partner. They are not like a consultant who will come in and provide insight on a predetermined problem then leave you to take it and run with it. That is why we're called "coaches" - we coach you through it and push you to the next level. We want for you what you want for you. 9. Life coaches will motivate you, often using words of encouragement and tailored phrases to keep you feeling inspired and thought of. Unlike other types of coaching, life coaching operates on the firm belief that your work together as coach and client is not based on competition of any kind. Instead, they just want you to win in your own life, whatever that means to you. 10. Finally, life coaching is flexible. Sessions can vary in time depending on the client's needs and schedules. Meetings can be done virtually or by phone. Life coaches want to hold the space for you to reach your goals, which means they will work around your needs to make that happen. Why I love being a life coach in Denver
For me, life coaching is not just a job - I rarely ever think of it that way. I became a life coach in Denver to contribute to the greater good, and I have found that the best only way to build a happy and thriving community is by working with the individuals who make up that community and, ultimately, the world.
When my clients say that life coaching made them become sure of their path and purpose and that they feel in control of the intentions they set and they take constant steps forward, that is when I believe I have succeeded. These are just a few things I love about life coaching and what it can help you achieve and discover: - Through coaching, we will explore your deepest desires and your truest self. - Life coaching is both a mirror for your highest self and the catalyst to help you become that person. - Life coaching becomes a relationship where you are continuously validated and loved. But it's also a partnership where I will call you out and not let things slide. - Life coaching is a constant source of accountability, support, tools, and skills for you to access to create the life you love and desire for yourself. - Life coaching serves as a reminder of who you are - a reminder that this person is whole and good enough. We are only human, which means we often work much harder when someone else is on the sidelines than we do when we go it alone. Life coaching can change your life if you let it. So what about your life would you change right now if you could?
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Dennis Guyvan, a life coach. He provides individual life coaching sessions in Denver and Chicago, and worldwide via video and phone calls. Schedule your free 30-minute coaching consultation with Dennis Guyvan.
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