5 Reasons you Probably Need a Coach

     Image Provided courtesy of Patrizia Coro

Many people scoff at the need for a coach.  Why would anyone pay for the services of a coach?  That's what I used to think until...

    I realized I was nowhere near to the goals that I said I wanted years ago.  Where did the time go?  I was lost. Not totally lost but I certainly was easily distracted and the management of my time was proof. I was recently divorced and doubtful about my abilities.  My Mother had just passed away and I couldn't seem to stay on any course of direction. I had at least two books and several short stories started. Was it possible to call myself a writer with only fragments of penned material?  I wanted to be able to complete at least one story about the most faithful companion I'd ever had. My King Charles Cavalier Spaniel named Forbes. Cautiously, I engaged the help of a coach for me to at last finish a project. While I was able to complete the agreed-upon action of completing a book, it was the journey into myself that took me by surprise.  I probably learned more about myself during that span of time than I had in the last 15 years of my life. I grew and I created.  And the more I created the happier I became.  I went on to learn more about people and being stuck and accomplishments and why some stop and why some settle. About what happens to people physically and emotionally when they are angry or betrayed or hurt. I researched and became unstoppable. Most of all, I became a writer.

Reason number 1.  You're stuck.  We all go through times when we just feel frustrated or stuck.  Usually adept at figuring things out on our own yet solutions are now alluding us.  We feel we've reviewed over and over in our mind every scenario or solution possible but either no "right" answer pops out or everything seems too difficult.  We all go through trials or difficulties in our life.  We are social beings and we don't have to go it alone.  We may try to enlist the help of a friend but that can be fraught with complications. Our friends will think they are helping us, but their view is often tainted by their knowledge of your past.  You are not your past.  Many friends are quick to give advice.  Coaches, on the other hand, help you by allowing you to figure your own solution.

Reason number 2.  You feel you're "talked out". You've already talked to your friends or perhaps significant other about your "issue" and every answer or suggestion just doesn't resonate with you.  Perhaps you are unable to persuade them that there is a problem. You may even feel embarrassed for having these thoughts. You wonder if there may be something wrong with you.

Reason number 3.   You've been trying for years.  You are convinced if you haven't been able to do it or "figure it out" by now then you never will. Wrong!  The whispers of a dream or longings stay with you for a reason.  You were meant to accomplish these goals, no matter how small or silly one may think they are. The key may be simple but just outside your current thought patterns.  It may take someone looking in, to see the value or the lay the foundation for your aspiration to blossom.

Reason number 4.  You're busy.  A good coach knows you are and can point out how you might achieve your goals even with your active schedule. You might not be progressing because you could be ignorant of an area in which you are unwittingly spinning your wheels. Coaches often open your eyes to patterns that you have been blinded to.  You can't know what you cannot see.  Your "busyness" may be an avoidance pattern.  Coaching helps to reveal systems you may be using that hinder your headway. You may have rigid demands for "how" you will accomplish your goal.  

Reason number 5.  You've lost momentum. When you don't see progress, it often creates frustration and a feeling of powerlessness.  This leads to lack of motivation. A coach can cheer you on and give you incentives. There is also a sense of accountability when you have a coach.  You might be tempted to neglect this week's assignment, but if you know you have a meeting with your coach, you're more likely than not to execute it. It seems that we as adults should be easily able to perform tasks given to us but often our priorities are challenged today. Tackling an assignment, even a quick 10-minute assignment can be recognizably a colossal challenge in our dynamic lives.  It is the coach who helps us to break it down into manageable chunks to move forward.  Forward movement is the key.  Momentum persists through progress.  

      My coaching experiences have stretched me beyond what I thought I could do. Strengthened me in a way I didn't even know I needed strengthening.  My coaches loved me when I didn't want to love myself and cheered me on when I thought I could go no further.  My passion to help others has been intensified by my participation with coaches. I want to be all that I can be and I achieve and pursue more because of my decision to utilize a coach.
I highly recommend to anyone even casually considering a coach to say "Yes!".