What Is a Personal Coach?

You may not be familiar with the definition of a personal life coach, but you are familiar with life coaching in general, whether you know it or not. As long as there have been successful people, there have been personal coaches, in the form of mentors, confidants, friends, advisors, guides, and peers. The key to coaching is finding someone who is committed to your success, who cares about you and your goals.

A Personal Coach Is on Your Side

In the mid-1980s, the word “coaching” became a catch phrase for the type of mentoring that resulted in increased power and personal effectiveness. Coaches are hired for a variety of reasons. Usually, the client has a specific goal in mind, though a general life coaching scenario could include all areas of a person’s daily challenges. Some coaches specialize in areas such as business, leadership, career, finances, health and wellness, or relationships. There are also coaches for parenting, speech, and spirituality. After being coached, the client is usually able to set goals, take action, and make positive decisions in a timely manner. Personal coaching results in the enhancement of an individual’s natural strengths.

When you hire a personal life coach, even if you are unclear about all of your goals in doing so, you will get the following benefits:

• Clear goals from an ordered relationship with your coach

• Proven techniques and personal procedures that consistently effect change

A Personal Coach Is Not an Encyclopedia

You know more about yourself than anyone else could possibly discover, even a trained life coach. Fortunately, a coach doesn’t need to be an expert on you or in your field of interest in order to help you achieve your goals. Coaches have years of experience in the one thing that successful people understand: process. By asking you questions, your coach will help you to clear what has been blocking you, clarify your desires, and make a plan to achieve your goals. You may not be clear on where you’re headed, but a coach can help you figure it out.

A Personal Coach Is Empathetic

Life coaches have empathy. This is vital to the successful coaching relationship. Emotional intelligence, excellent listening skills, common sense, psychological training and techniques, and an easy manner are all traits of a good life coach. Without these traits, finding out what you truly desire in life would be impossible. But with them, a good coach can draw out of you what you have always wanted but never knew you didn’t have. They can tap into the deepest desires of your childhood, your heart, and your spirit and move beyond the adult masks that you have created to block your dreams.

As coaches, we know how to help you incorporate the traits of people you admire until you possess the same qualities. Using imagery and affirmations, linguistic patterns and unspoken assumptions, a coach can weed out who you truly are and bring forth who you truly want to be.

We can also help you overcome the negative thinking and subconscious expectation of failure that so often impedes progress using consulting and psychological techniques, such as Neuro-Linquistic Programming (NLP). NLP is a system of coding human behavior to show you how you behave when you are at your best. We also use cognitive-behavioral therapy, incorporating framing and metaphors to adjust your worldviews. Personal coaching combines science and people skills with genuine concern for your success and well-being.

A Personal Coaching Relationship

If you are still uncertain about the coaching relationship, here are some highlights:

Accountability is one of the best motivators. A social contract, such as a marriage in public, is a way of binding ourselves to our commitments. If we make these commitments in front of others, involving others, then we are more likely to keep them. A social contract with your coach is a sure step toward your goals.

Unlike other friends or mentors, your life coach is available to you full-time. We use our proven techniques and absolute focus to bring your goals to the surface and help you realize them. Also unlike other friends or mentors, a coach will always tell you the truth, even when it’s difficult to hear.

A coach is good way to get help with life’s challenges without seeing a therapist. Sometimes you don’t need that much counseling, but you do want some help moving out of a rut. Your coach will not focus on your past as a way to help you, but will always focus on your future. Instead of analyzing dysfunction, you will spend time with your coach functioning at a new and higher level.

The answers are often inside of you already, but after years of conditioning or negative thinking, you may need some help to see them. Your personal life coach motivates you to find your own answers, rather than imposing “expert” opinions or theories. Your plan of action comes from your creative and authentic self after your coach has helped you tap into that resource.

A Personal Coach Is Guided by Principles

Your personal life coach is non-judgmental and unconditionally positive in his or her approach to you. You are completely accepted in the presence of your coach.

Your personal life coach is authentic, always honest while remaining sensitive to your feelings and thoughts.

Finally, your personal life coach is empathetic and compassionate at all times.

Want to discuss?  Call +44-(0)1594-564133 or email me