7 Reasons Why You May Need A Life Coach
7 Reasons Why You May Need A Life Coach
Hey Mommas!
Do you ever feel stuck? Like there’s so much going on around you, but you can’t seem to get your life organized the way you want?
First of all, I just want to say that you are doing great! There are too often expectations put on us as moms that we just can’t meet, and that’s ok. The moment we start living for ourselves, and stop comparing ourselves to others is the moment we start to feel free.
I’ve talked about how you get to define what’s “good enough” for you and your family, but I want to dive a little deeper into how you can get to that point, with just a little help.
The craziest part about feeling like someone is “momming better” than you, is that none of us actually know what we’re doing. Life, especially life as a mom who is trying to take care of herself AND her family, does not come with a manual. And that, my friends, is where life coaches come in.
What is a Life Coach?
Before we get into the benefits of having a life coach, you might be wondering what a life coach even is. If you think about other coaches you may have had in the past, for sports or mentors in school or a job, the role of a life coach is very similar.
A life coach is a coach for your life. Most of us weren’t formally taught how to live successfully, and often there are stories or patterns that we get stuck in, without even being aware of them. Life coaches can help you get a holistic view of your life. Then, we help identify what it is that is holding you back, and offer up some tools for you to rewrite your story, and feel fulfilled and successful in all parts of your life.
Life coaches can help you break down what it is you truly want out of life, and what might be standing in your way. We help you set goals, and create action plans to help you achieve them. Life coaches exist to help get you to a place where you can empower yourself to live your most fulfilling life.
We hire specialized coaches all the time, for ourselves or our kids. Sometimes it’s a piano teacher, a basketball coach, or a personal trainer. Why wouldn’t we also hire someone to help us with the most important thing of all? Our life, health, and general sanity trying to manage our family’s schedules and our own goals is so important, but so many times we think we have to figure it out on our own.
My life transformed when I started working with my coach, and I have so many clients who are grateful they reached out for someone to help push them further than they could have gone by themselves.
What’s the difference between a Life Coach and a Therapist?
A life coach is not a therapist. This is a really important distinction to understand. Therapists deal with past issues, traumas, and are certified, mental health professionals. They often dive into your past experiences with you and use that to give you insight into present-day mental health challenges.
Instead, life coaches work from the present moment and help you move forward, into the future. A life coach might help you explore your own past stories or patterns, but we will not specifically work through trauma or past experiences with you. We might provide tools that could help you dissect a present situation, where you might find a pattern emerging from other experiences, but we will not be the ones analyzing your past for you.
A life coach’s main purpose is to guide you toward building a more desirable future. And we are definitely not meant to replace professional counseling for mental health concerns or needs.
What is the difference between a Life Coach and a Consultant?
Consulting is more direct than coaching, but the two can often overlap. A consultant will direct their client much more clearly. They will offer advice, answers to problems, and create direction for the client to follow. True coaching, on the other hand (according to the ICF), does not offer direct advice or opinions but helps lead the client to find their own answers. It is very possible that the two will overlap, especially when you are hiring a life coach who specializes in a specific skill or area of expertise.
Often, a coach will have expertise in a certain area that will help you achieve your goals, too. The simplest way to think about this is in a workplace. You might have a manager or director who is coaching you, while also having specific advice as to how to move forward in a situation. They are blending both coaching and consulting.
You will also see this in health coaching, or even when thinking about an athletic coach. Traditional health coaching is often very far from the true ICF coaching model. When your coach gives you workouts, meal plans, and more, it tends to fall more into the genre of consulting rather than true coaching. This doesn’t make it any less helpful, but it is important to know the field and type of coaching you are going to get.
I was a traditional health coach for years, operating more within a consultant framework until I realized I was actually helping my clients with all aspects of their lives. I would find, as we dove deeper into what was holding them back from their health goals, there was so much more they were discovering about themselves. That is why I decided to embrace the merging of coaching and consulting. Now, I’m able to help my clients with all aspects of their life, help them calm the chaos, and live their most fulfilled lives.
Does a Life Coach Need to Be Certified?
The coaching industry has been growing rapidly in the past few years as more and more people have realized the benefits they can gain by working with a life coach. At this point, the industry is largely unregulated.
Right now, anyone can say they are a coach and sell a program. This is why I think it is imperative to ask the person you are thinking of working with about their background and any past experience they have in this field.
This doesn’t have to be an ICF accredited training, but it does help to know the amount of time your potential coach has invested into their own training. For example, if you hire someone who has done the same thing you want to achieve, they don’t necessarily need to be a credentialed coach.
However, training or experience in the coaching industry does help! Just because someone has done it themselves doesn’t always mean they are skilled at helping someone else do it. But it is also true that just because someone hasn’t done what you want to achieve, doesn’t mean they can’t give you the tools to help you accomplish anything for yourself.
Just like with any investment, make sure you do your research before working with a coach. You want to make sure you are both a good fit for each other, and they are able to communicate with you in a way you understand. That is why I am always available for any questions a potential client might have before working with me. It is important we are both on the same page and have similar expectations for what they will get out of our time together.
So, now that you have a little background about what a life coach is, let’s get into the reasons why working with could be very beneficial for you.
7 Reasons Why You May Need a Life Coach:
1. You have a goal and just can’t seem to make it happen.
This is such a normal experience for so many of us, but for some reason we never ask for any help. A life coach will help you break down the different parts of that goal, and usually give you tools you can apply to any goal you ever want to accomplish.
2. Limiting beliefs sabotage your ability to move forward in certain areas of your life.
This is one of my favorite topics to jump into. Often, our limiting beliefs are so buried into our subconscious, that we aren’t even aware we have been sabotaging ourselves this whole time. This is why it’s so important to work on our thoughts and expose what is actually driving our decisions and behaviors.
3. You know you need some guidance beyond your own mind to push to the next level.
Sometimes you might feel stuck. And not even in how to accomplish your goals, but like you’re doing everything right and the change you want still isn’t happening. It can be so helpful to have a fresh perspective, and someone to keep you accountable for your goals. That’s where a life coach comes in!
4. You feel overwhelmed by all that is going on in life but don’t know what to change.
Setting boundaries can be HARD. Even if you are good at it in one part of your life, you might be terrible at it in another part. Life coaches can help you determine when you might have to say no to certain things, and yes to other things. And how to set that boundary so it is clear and healthy for you.
5. You don’t even know where to start as to what goals you want to achieve.
This is huge. Sometimes you know you should be getting more out of your life, but you just don’t know where or in what ways. Life coaches will help you break down what it is you want out of life, and help you define a plan that will get you on that path, whatever it ends up being!
6. You get easily distracted and waste time.
Time management and setting priorities are something we could always improve on. There are so many different tools and techniques that a life coach can provide for you to try out. You can find out what methods work best for you, or try them all. Either way, your life coach is there to help you find that sweet spot, so the real things you want to accomplish can get done.
7. You need space outside of your own head to sort through what you are thinking.
A fresh perspective can be priceless. A life coach has so much experience working with many different clients and perspectives, that they are ready and able to help you sound out different plans and solutions, and keep you on that path to success.
There is no reason you have to figure everything out on your own. We hire personal trainers and coaches for our children, and yet when it comes to someone helping us figure out quite possibly the most important thing (our own health, sanity, life) we often feel the need to just figure it out on our own.
I’ve found that the most successful people often have the biggest team supporting them, even if you don’t see them right away. When you are able to own what you do know, and what you need help with, you end up using your time and energy much more efficiently. In business, there’s always talk about delegating tasks, and that you can’t do everything on your own. It’s the same in life.
If there was someone who could help you calm the chaos in your mind and teach you how to focus in order to achieve everything you want out of life, why wouldn’t you work with them?
As you begin to work with your life coach, you will see the tools they give you start to become second nature. You start coaching yourself through similar situations your coach has helped you with. The results, personal breakthroughs, and accomplishments you have while working with your coach will compound over time. And the next thing you know, you will start seeing improved clarity and focus in all areas of your life.
If you are looking for a coach and would like to start the conversation as to what it would look like if you hired one, I would love to talk with you! I dedicate myself to helping moms find success in their life and health, so they can live their most fulfilled lives. I specialize in customized coaching plans, so the best way for you to find out more is to reach out! I love designing individualized coaching, and would love to see what that looks like for you!
Do you have any more questions about what a life coach does or what it’s like working with one? Let me know in the comments, or reach out directly!