Life Coaching!, what is it and how does it work?
Mindfit Life Coaching in Las Vegas Nevada
Life Coaching as define by Wikipedia is "A method of directing, instructing and training a person or group of people, with the aim to achieve some goal or develop specific skills".
Life Coaching is at it's basic level, is going to a coach to learn new skills and abilities, be it more effective or empowering beliefs and attitudes or a planned set of actions and skills to obtain a goal. Just like a sports coach, the life coach can see things from a wider perception than what you see, they can get a feel for what it is you want to achieve without being hindered by your past perceptions or limitations and can give you a model of a more empowering set of ways to achieve what you wish to accomplish. They can monitor your progress, see what is working and what is not, and have a variety of techniques and methods in the bag of skills you might require. The Life Coach will help identify the picture of what you want to achieve and help you assembly the pieces of the puzzle to get there.
Why use a Life Coach |
There are many reasons to use a Life Coach, but this is the example I often use to explain it. I decide I want a new car. I want one that has more features than the one I have now, I know that the new features will make my journey through life more comfortable, more efficient and I will arrive to where I want to go much faster. I have a couple of options.
It is totally possible for me to work on this myself, I could learn how to build an engine, how to set up the electrical, make the body, frame and exterior. I know it will require trail and error, I know that it will take time, time to learn the skills I need, and time to get effective at producing the end product. I know it will cost me a fortune in both money and my resources, but it is possible to do it myself. I can have at the end of many years the pride and satisfaction of knowing I did this myself. I achieved it on my own.
The second option for me is to recognize that there are already people who know what they are doing producing cars. I can exchange my skills for money, which I can exchange for the finished product. I do not need to go through all the trail and error of learning things for myself. I can take advantage of others who specialize in producing the result that I want. So I can pay for their expertise and in no time at all, I can be traveling through life in a more comfortable and efficient way. And I still get the same sense of pride and satisfaction in knowing I was smart enough to upgrade my ability to get to where I want to go, but I do it faster.
In the same way, going to a Life Coach will help you gain the skills and abilities and provide a non partial feedback system to gauge your success. You get what you want faster and more efficiently, so that you have more time to enjoy the results of your growth.
What to Look for in a Life Coach? |
Qualifications
The reality is, there are no universally recognized qualifications for being a Life Coach. Anyone can call themselves a Life Coach and anyone can set up a company to give out certificates and qualifications with this title. So sadly, Life Coaching Qualifications are not an indication that the person your going to knows what they are doing. Look for qualifications in other areas of behavioral change that are more generally accepted.
Personal Philosophy
Your going to get better results if you already agree with or are open to the philosophies the Life Coach is offering. At Mindfit we go with the philosophy that science, evidence and understanding of the psychological process is a good thing. If you prefer someone who will tell you that what they do can't be understood by science, or that Psychologist's and Doctors are all in a conspiracy to keep themselves rich. Or that what they are doing has been done for thousands of years and the knowledge was lost then I am NOT the Life Coach for you. If you prefer to take responsibility for yourself, have an interest in knowing the mechanics of how your brain and personalities are developed, and have respect for the idea that today we know more than people from the stone age, then we will get along fine and your results will be quick and efficient
Phone Life Coaching
Many Life Coaches offer their services all over the country over the phone. While this is a personal belief, I don't see this as offering the best value. At Mindfit Life Coaching, once we have established your goals, and developed plans, there is skill set instruction (therapy). I have found in the past that you can often talk about an issue until your blue in the face, it does not change just because you want it to or you talk about it. Sometimes talking about things does produce a change, that's what friends are for, and you don't need to pay them! Much of the skill set change is done using hypnosis and other therapy techniques, that provide the best results when they are tailored to you the individual which requires face to face interaction.
Complimentary Sessions
Just like the church of scientology, who offer you a free personality test and then use it to offer more and more services to 'fix you', many people will attempt to keep you as a client for as long as they can. In fact many of the schools teaching you how to be a life coach offer this instruction. If your Life Coach is not teaching you skills that can cross over into other areas of your life, so that you have the resources to generate change yourself, I strongly suggest you stay away from them. The whole point of getting a life coach is so that you can make quick and effective change in an area of your life.