‘My coaching journey’
Inner contentment is something we all crave and life coaching can help us achieve it, whether we receive coaching or train to coach others. In her second column about her Life Coaching training, Christina Neal Managing Editor of Womens's Fitness Magazine, explains just how becoming a coach can improve your personal life as well as your professional skills.
Click here to read Christina's first column 'My Life Coaching Journey'.
Why would anyone want to be a life coach? I can think of several very good reasons. It can help you build a better life for yourself and enable you to help others do the same. Nowadays, we all have career choices that former generations didn’t have so it seems crazy not to make the most of the opportunities that exist today.
I recently embarked on a life-coaching course with London-based coaching company, Catalyst Coaching. The first stage of the four coaching modules, module one, involved attending a two-day weekend workshop. There were six of us on the workshop and most of them in a similar situation to me – middle-aged and eager to learn a new skill. Many were at a career crossroads and wanted a change of direction. Some of them wanted to use their newfound coaching knowledge to boost their existing careers. Mike ran his own business and wanted to coach his staff and become a more effective manager. Debbie was a hairdresser and mum of three who spent much of her working day listening to customers’ problems, so she felt she might as well earn good money from being a good listener (life coaches charge anywhere from £50 to £200 per session).
No judging
The two-day module entailed defining what life coaching is and then going on to do some practice coaching sessions. We learned that coaches are not meant to be judgmental and cannot give their own opinions nor impose their beliefs on their clients. Coaches are meant to ask careful questions that help the client seek out their own answers. Coaches are not counsellors and cannot prescribe advice. But they certainly need to be very good listeners.
The weekend consisted of several practice coaching sessions, in which we were coached by other students and had to coach them. We learned the structure of how to coach and I began to realise how powerful it is. Coaching is practical – it helps a person decide where they want to be and how to get there. It helps them identify what they want and in some cases, what they don’t want.
Good listener
Since attending the workshop, I have been working with my own practice clients as part of my training. It’s only been a short time but I’ve already become a much better listener and I’ve been able to implement this in my personal life too. I don’t interrupt when people talk and I don’t try to prescribe advice. My days of lecturing my friends about how to resolve relationship or work issues are definitely over! I hope I won’t be judging anyone anymore either. I’ve learned that we all have our own values and standards. My values are important to me – but that doesn’t mean that everyone else has to live by my rules. I’ve never been a major gossip but how many of us can say that we haven’t occasionally whispered about a colleague or so-called ‘friend’ at one time or another? My days of idle gossip are over. After all, who am I to judge anyone?
Coaching has helped me learn that it really does take all types of people to make the world go round. It may be a cliché to say this, but it might even make me a better person!
Catalyst Coaching runs free introductory coaching seminars in London and surrounding areas. Visit www.catalystcoaching.biz or call 0800 953 0387.
Could you be a life coach?
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