4 Ways coaching changed my life (and will change yours!)

How will a coach actually support me to move forward in my career? This was my question each time I heard the phrase “life coach” or “personal coach” and this is exactly what I hope to answer for you. 

Growing up in and around sports I kept thinking of my sports coaches-- people who were strategic cheerleaders driven to help us win, even if it meant a bit of yelling and running extra lines. While I loved most of my sports coaches (shout out to Mr. Slack and Kappy!), I didn’t realize the impact and value of being a personal coach for people in their vocation until recently. 

If you are reading this post, you likely know that I am running my own business as a strategic cheerleader, minus the yelling and the sports, coaching women and men toward activating their career dreams through their sense of calling. So, how do coaches support us in moving our careers forward? 

In this post I am going to share with you the 4 ways coaching has changed the life of me and my clients toward inspiring you to consider coaching as your next practical step in achieving your life goals.

4 Ways Coaching Will Change Your Life

1 - Prioritize Your Values 

Don’t you hate it when you have a career plan of what you expect to do with your life and then finances change, a job doesn’t pan out, or a pandemic hits, shaking up our world? Yeah, I do too! I have been in each of these places (and a few of them multiple times) and I know it can be so challenging and discouraging. So what do we do in those times?  

Having a coach helped me anchor my priorities in my values and then begin to live from those values. This is something I do with my clients as well. The very simple but real work of naming what we want most in the varying areas of our life, then planning how and by when we will accomplish those things is not as easy as it sounds. It also takes putting those items in a calendar and often reverse engineering the content so that they fit in ways that make sense and help us to accomplish them in the frame we have set. 

2 - Create a Strategy Toward Action 

Through coaching and being coached, I have streamlined my strategic process. Want to know my shorthand plan for prioritizing my goals? 

The following are the steps I take toward planning my week, month, and year. 

1. I name what I want most: like eating healthier, publishing a piece of content, or launching a new program.

2. I get specific about how I will accomplish those things (ie. eating healthier - I name what is important me (putting more veggies on our plates), when I plan to take action, and write out the action steps (such as groceries and meal prep)

3. Create a vision 

4. Write up my results 

5. I put the action steps in my calendar with links as necessary. 

6. Most important: I don’t break my commitment to myself. If it's in the calendar it’s either happening or getting renegotiated to happen at another time. 

3 - Build Your Confidence 

Remember that little tip I mentioned about not breaking commitments to yourself? I have found two ways that people build confidence like little else:

Following through our commitments AND taking risks! 

When we do what we said we would do, we feel good because we are integrating our words with our actions, and are able to move into our next goal with more motivation and confidence. Finish a book? Yep, I can do that again! Complete an education program? Sure, I can do more education if I choose. Start a business? I can take the next step in growing my business!  

Seriously, after completing my doctoral program in which I moved twice, had a baby, and endured a heavy family loss, I feel pretty confident that I can handle much more than I could three years ago. Pandemic? Bring it on (just kidding- it’s too soon for that - just making lemonade over here!).

Second: TAKE RISKS! 

Try things. Go to new places, say hi to strangers on the street, break out of your mold. It’s ok to fail. We all do. The challenge with risk taking is that our fears of things not working out keep us from the vulnerability of putting ourselves out there. I have failed a lot (A LOT!) and the greatest thing I have learned from failure is that failure is good for me because it helps me to grow and it reminds me I am human. I can’t do everything. But I can try almost anything, so why not?! And if you are worried about the judgment from others...well, they are not in your head and if they are not for you, they are probably not worth listening to anyway. 

4 - Be Accountable 

Accountability is something that can feel uncomfortable as the very definition is being responsible for your actions to someone else. But accountability may be the single most effective aspect of coaching. Having another person who knows your goals, wants to see you succeed, and will support you in meeting those goals is often the difference between achieving those goals and procrastination.

My coach and I had weekly calls where I would have specific work I was being held accountable to. Then we would review what worked and didn’t, she’d give me feedback, and I would have new mini-goals within my strategic plan for the following week. Now, I meet with another entrepreneur weekly for thirty minutes for the sole purpose of accountability. We set our goals and support each other in giving feedback and continually finding ways to creatively achieve our work.

Don’t shy away from accountability. If you do not want to hold yourself accountable, ask why. Then implement your accountability by:

1. Getting a person (I highly recommend a coach to get you started- they are for you and they will be able to help you navigate without bias)

2. Getting specific with your strategy, and

3. Getting measurable with your results (what?, how?, and by when?).

Well, there you have it- my 4 biggest take-away’s from coaching! I have seen in my clients and personally experienced the way these 4 strategies have supported many in achieving their goals and I am certain that with the right coach, they will support you too!

Are you curious about how to move one step closer to your dreams? Let’s talk. Set up a discovery conversation with me to support you in your next steps. And don’t forget to download my free practical guide to create your own calling statement.

I am for you!