COACHING - What It Is and What It Isn't

What is a coach? The International Coaching Federation (ICF) defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. (Source: https://coachfederation.org/faqs)

Basically, coaching is working together toward the common goal to help you be the best you there is through a process of communicating and questioning. This process helps you find your root challenges and discover opportunities to achieve your goals.

What coaching isn’t (but is often confused with being):

-     Therapy – a coach is not a therapist and cannot diagnose or “cure” your problems.

-     Mentor – a mentor is someone who has been there and done that and can help you navigate through challenges through their experience.

-     Consultant – a consultant comes in and tells you what is wrong and how to fix it. They are experts in a given field and can teach how to improve processes.

A professional coach can help you realize things that may not be on the surface through open dialogue and casual questions. There are many coaching fields that are focused on specific areas of life and business. An executive coach will help executives and businesses, a success coach focuses on success and achieving new levels, an accountability coach holds you accountable, a small business coach helps small businesses, a life coach helps personal growth. Coaching can benefit every business, department, and team by helping the individuals see their potential and achieve greatness through unlocking methods. There are many others that target specific niche’s as well.

If coaching interests you, please reach out or research areas that may benefit you. So, if you're a leader or individual in a moment of transition, let's talk!

Maybe you are struggling with a personal challenge, or you’ve just become a manager for the first time, or you are at a crossroad at some area of your life.

If you’d like to unlock your full potential in these next steps, and/or breakthrough what’s blocking you, drop me a message.

I am excited to help!

JUST START!

We all have goals and next steps in our lives. We all want to be better ______. We all also have varying levels of focus, dedication, conviction, and energy toward those goals. Why is that? Shouldn’t it be as simple as wanting something, knowing what needs to be done, and doing it?

We tend to get caught up in our own head with reasons why we “can’t” or why we “can’t at this time” or why it is hard or how we could fail or any other of stories we tell ourselves to avert risk and potential shame. What we don’t do often enough is tell ourselves, “YOU GOT THIS!” and start. To reach any goal, there are many steps to take and many lessons to learn. There are tasks and courses and challenges and obstacles and milestones and changes and twists and turns and long days and long nights and learning. It is hard to change. It is hard to do something different. Outside your comfort zone sucks…until it doesn’t.

Taking steps toward a goal and turning down the volume on your inner gremlins requires one thing. JUSTSTART. It is really that easy, JUSTSTART. Starting down that path toward change or toward your goals is not going to be easy but taking that first step is, no matter how small. Small steps create small wins and lead to small milestones to give you small momentum toward the larger goal. JUSTSTART and watch as your mind starts to accept the changes in workload, schedule, stress, and energy needs. You will adapt. It will become your new normal. You will reach that goal. It will take time and it will be hard but you got this. Just Start.

If you're a leader or individual in a moment of transition, let's talk!

Maybe you are struggling with a personal challenge, or you’ve just become a manager for the first time, or you are at a crossroad at some area of your life.

If you’d like to unlock your full potential in these next steps, and/or breakthrough what’s blocking you, drop me a message.

I am excited to help!

Let Go of the Past

Easier said than done though, right? Our past can haunt us and we can easily get caught in the woe is me downward spiral of guilt, shame, worry, regret, self-defeat. Why is that? Why do we tend to focus on what we missed or didn't do or should have done or failed at?

It is hard to fall down and get back up. It is hard to eat right or exercise or change a hard-ingrained habit. The Japanese Proverb, Nana korobi, ya oki means to fall down seven times, stand up eight.

Basically stated, never give up hope. You got this. Don't give up.

We are far more resilient than we might think. Starting a new habit or starting a new day anew without reliving the past is possible if you will it so. We don't forget our past but we can choose to not let it continue to define us. Life is full of second (or third or fourth or more) chances to be a better version of ourselves. We can actively choose to be kind or to work out or walk more or tell someone we love them. It is never too late for that. Small steps can lead to large change. As the adage goes, How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

So, if you're a leader or individual in a moment of transition, let's talk!

Maybe you are struggling with a personal challenge, or you’ve just become a manager for the first time, or you are at a crossroad at some area of your life.

If you’d like to unlock your full potential in these next steps, and/or breakthrough what’s blocking you, drop me a message.

I am excited to help!