In what situations should you hire a life coach?
As most life coaches say, everyone can benefit from life coaching in any situation in their life, if they are ready. Coaching is about personal growth, reinventing yourself and finding resonant ways to live a more fulfilling life, as opposed to fixing problems after they have become unbearable. And that is always beneficial, no matter who you are and what stage of life you are in. I have previously written an article on this topic.
Many of my clients shared with me that before going to coaching they originally thought they needed therapy. There are situations in life when you might feel unhappy, disconnected, unmotivated or lost without actually being truly depressed. There seems to be nothing fundamentally wrong with you or your life but you feel that something is missing or needs to be changed. Perhaps you can’t really grasp what that “something” could be. You just feel stuck. You don’t feel yourself, and struggle to be authentic. This is a situation when you might not really need therapy but you could benefit from professional support.
Here are some situations when it is worth considering hiring a life coach:
You are not sure if the life you are living is the one you are “meant” to live.
Examples:
Eva has a nice job, decent income, circle of friends, a place to live – she seems to “have it all” and yet she doesn’t feel completely satisfied. Something intangible seems to be missing.
Zach is creative and has always dreamed of his work being impactful in a meaningful way. After some years in the field, he seems to have settled for commercial gigs, which leaves him unsatisfied. Is it too late for him to strive for full self-expression? Did he miss his prime? Would change be too risky?
You feel that something is missing in your life. And it does not matter if you know what the missing part is or not. You keep asking yourself: “Is this it?” And yet feel stuck and don’t find yourself doing anything to change your situation.
A life coach will help you get clear on what your values and your life purpose are, uncover what your blind spots are, limiting beliefs and old thinking patterns that are keeping you stuck. This will bring you the clarity on which are the missing pieces, what is keeping you back from making steps towards your best life and what are is real and possibilities for steps that you would feel excited to take.
2. You are going through a significant transition in your life and you feel overwhelmed.
Examples:
Frank got laid-off from his job. He would like to use this opportunity to start doing something that he would really enjoy doing but he has no idea where to start. Also, he needs a steady income to pay his mortgage so he is afraid to take too many risks.
Lauren has just moved to a new country. New city, new job, new social circles. How could she use the situation as an opportunity to reinvent herself both personally and professionally?
Jonathan has been promoted and finds it difficult to get used to the new set of challenges and responsibilities.
Life can bring different challenges and all we sometimes manage to do is turn on survival mode and try to get through the days. A life coach can support you to find a way to create space to reconnect with yourself, digest your situation, acknowledge all your thoughts and emotions, move forward in your life with clarity and peace and learn something about yourself on the way.
3. You are getting ready to make a radical change and you feel alone “going against the norm”
Examples:
Martina wants to quit her job and start freelancing. Everyone around her keeps convincing her it is too risky.
Sofia wants to end an unsatisfactory relationship. But on the outside, this relationship looks great – what if she is about to do something crazy that she is going to regret later?
Mark wants to hit the road and start living as a digital nomad. He doesn’t know anyone who did that already – what if it will not work out? What if he is not even going to like it at the end?
In coaching, we say that living your life purpose is a radical act. And when we are thinking of doing something that our society considers radical – such as quitting a safe job, moving to a different country or completely changing the direction of our “successful” career – our surroundings might give us a hard time. You will be asked a lot of questions, you will have doubts and many “rational” reasons why you should not proceed with the change.
A life coach is someone who will support you to explore what is really driving your longing for change and build more self-awareness around that. Knowing what is driving your vision will help you stay connected and on track with your commitment, no matter how many people find it crazy.
4. You are not sure how to make the right decision.
Examples:
Barbara made some decisions in the past which she later regretted. Now she feels that she needs a change, but she wants to make sure she makes the right decision. But what if everything will get worse, just like it did in the past?
Michael keeps seeking guidance and advice from others. After all, they seem to know what they are doing. As a result, he feels dependent on others when it comes to making decisions about his own life.
Are you wondering what is the key to making the “right” decision that you will not regret later? A life coach will support you in increasing your self-awareness and uncover what is really important for you as opposed to what you think is expected from you. This will enable you to make conscious choices that will lead you towards sustainable satisfaction.
5. You lack confidence to claim what is important for you.
Examples:
Jen calls herself crazy or spoiled for feeling certain ways or she often finds herself questioning the validity of her feelings.
Stefan keeps considering other people’s needs and expectations before his own. This has a negative impact on his own happiness and well-being.
Lisa keeps postponing her plans for later just to not upset anyone by making a change.
Are you constantly considering other people’s opinions and needs as more important than your own? Are you wondering if you have the right to feel a certain way? Do you consider yourself as spoiled for wanting more in life? A life coach can help you to establish an inner compass that will always be available to you, giving you the confidence to know what really matters to you and claim things that are important to you.
These examples are all different, but the process is very similar: Life coaching supports you in finding a unique and authentic way to live a fulfilling life and stay connected with yourself even when dealing with challenges or when going against the norm.
Everyone has doubts and our doubts might never go away completely. What is important is to find a way to trust your own judgement and make conscious choices. Choices that will make sense in the bigger picture of building your authentic and fulfilling life that you are really meant to live.
And that is what life coaching is here for.
Originally posted on April 8, 2019