Do you often wish you could hit the reset button on a specific area of your life, or even dream of giving it a complete overhaul?
If so, you may benefit from the services of a life coach. The term life coach was first used in the 1980s and the profession itself grew in popularity throughout the ‘90s and 2000s. Famous life coaches such as Tony Robbins have been interviewed on The Oprah Winfrey Show and other popular daytime talk shows. But that doesn’t mean that everyone knows what a life coach is and exactly what they do. Many people also mistake them for therapists.
Topics on this page:
What a Life Coach Can Do For You
What is the Difference Between a Life Coach and a Therapist
Why Work With a Life Coach
Is a Life Coach Right For You
Ready to Upgrade Your Life
Life coaching is a unique profession. Many life coaches have a specific approach to helping people that differs from the way therapists do their job. If you’re unsure exactly what a life coach is, read on to learn the details!
What a Life Coach Can Do For You
A life coach is a wellness professional who works one-on-one with a functioning individual and motivates them to reach their goals in one (or more than one) area of their life, such as their job, relationships, health, and more. You may come across coaches that focus on a specific area such as a career, fitness, or relationship coach. However, a life coach will help people with just about any area of their life they wish to experience improvement in. Some of the ways a life coach can help you include the following:
- Build self-esteem/confidence
- Find your passion/purpose in life
- Develop more meaningful relationships
- Lose weight
- Create a new career or start a business
- And more!
A life coach will set actionable goals for you and help you determine the steps to take to get you where you want to be. Along the way, they will encourage you, dispense tough love, and hold you accountable (no more procrastinating!) to keep you on track. They are your collaborative partner who will show you where you have limiting beliefs about your potential that are holding you back, help you let go of them and replace them with more empowering ones.
And today, thanks to technology, life coaching sessions can be conveniently done in the comfort of one’s home. You can schedule video or phone calls with your life coach, saving you time that would otherwise be spent commuting to a physical office.
What is the Difference Between a Life Coach and a Therapist?
Just to clear up the confusion once and for all, a life coach is not the same as a therapist. Although some life coaches may have a background in therapy, they work with their clients in a much different way than a therapist does.
For starters, a life coach will help you stay focused on the present and look towards the future in reaching your goals, while a therapist usually has a client explore aspects of their past such as their childhood and early relationships so they can understand why they feel the way they do and behave in the present.
A life coach does not treat mental health conditions and addictions nor heal trauma from the past. They are not a sounding board or the person to seek out if you need to discuss your feelings or problems. It’s not that life coaches are unsympathetic, but they work with people who are ready to do the work to make changes and don’t have unresolved feelings standing in the way of their dreams. They will, however, ask their clients questions and provide observations and feedback to help them find clarity about what they want to change.
As mentioned, a life coach will outline action for you to take to help you reach your goals. Therapy, however, is more open-ended where it’s up to the client to dictate what they want to discuss. They also eventually need to be the one to decide they’re ready to take action towards a goal.
While it’s possible to work with both a therapist and a life coach independent of one another, very often an individual benefits from working with a therapist first to clear up emotions that are holding them back. Then they are in a better place mentally to take on change and work with a life coach.
Why Work With a Life Coach?
Change is hard! The truth is while there’s no shortage of self-help books, videos, seminars, and more to explore, not everyone can change their life and limiting beliefs on their own. Not everyone has friends and family members that encourage them or provide that support system one needs.
Your life coach helps provide the support and encouragement you need to make changes in your life. It can be intimidating and even scary to take action that will bring about positive results in your life, no matter how much you desire them. A life coach can help inspire you to dream big and make your vision a reality by mapping out a way to get there.
You should consider working with a life coach if:
- You’re busy and need help following through with taking steps towards your goals
- You find it difficult to break bad habits or negative thoughts
- You feel like your creativity is being blocked
- You have a vision for your life but are unsure of the first step to take towards it
Is a Life Coach Right For You?
If you feel you’re ready to commit to taking the action needed to bring about positive change in your life but need the support to do so, then working with a life coach may be a good option for you. Many will offer a free phone consultation to learn a bit more about you and your goals and to determine if you’re ready to work with a life coach.
You should also use this call as an opportunity to assess if the life coach is a good fit for you. Ask them about their coaching style and the techniques they use to motivate their clients and keep them focused on their goals. Check out their reviews and client success stories to learn how they’ve helped people who faced turning points in their life.
Ready to Upgrade Your Life?
Now that you know more about what a life coach does, are you ready to upgrade your life? Contact Janine Dowling to schedule your no-cost consultation call and take that crucial first step towards a new you.