My career as a life coach started 14 years ago. The question I was most asked then was, “What is a life coach?” Flash forward to 2019; most people now know what this profession is and what it means. It is even finding its way into the wacky writing of sitcoms. In the show The Conners, Jackie Harris, Laurie Metcalf’s character is dabbling in coaching. She claims she IS a life coach, albeit a nightmarish, quirky and questionable one. With her intense and unconventional methods, it stands to reason that she is trying to open up a stew restaurant to add to her income.
So in the real world, why hire a life coach? The general answer is to succeed at life. Two more specific reasons are to gain clarity and add accountability. Even when we know what needs to happen to achieve a goal, the amount of distractions that pull us away has increased exponentially. (A future blog will be solely dedicated to this phenomenon) Even as I write this, I know well enough to know that my phone needs to be in the other room or this will not be written efficiently…or at all. While attention spans have decreased, anxiety and depression have increased. People under 25 are among the most afflicted.
What can you do about this? Small daily changes that move you in the direction of long term goals. And an experienced coach (me not Jackie) can help you become and remain focused.
There is a myth frequently written or spoken that is takes 21 days to create a new habit. Research has debunked this; said research is in line with what I see when clients create new and better habits…It takes longer.
Phillippa Lally, a health psychology researcher at University College in London published a study in the European Journal of Social Psychology which found the average rate of habit formations was 66 days and the longer timeline stretched to 254 days. A few fast folks took only 18 days but this, in my professional experience, is rare. The people in the study had to track their progress and had a built in support system.
A life coach is a personal and professional support system for you. For your hopes, dreams, goals and well being. Coaching can help you dismantle the internal and external obstacles to your success. Accountability for your stated goals. Clarity for what holds you back.
Ever since I was a little girl, I have cared deeply about helping people. You could say it is woven in my DNA. Hire a lifetime of experience for deep and lasting change.
