Life coaching is becoming more appealing and a lot of people are making a career out of this. You must have heard about it too and like many others, you may have wondered if a life coach really works like everyone is trying to make you believe. First off, a life coach promises to help you make improvements to your life. Transformative life coaching, among other things, is meant to help individuals reach their personal or career goals, attain happiness, become more confident, and ultimately live out a fulfilled life.

When do you need a life coach?         

Truth is, you need a life coach if you feel like you’re in a place where you shouldn’t be like you’re currently disillusioned about the work you’re doing, are having issues with your career, your relationship or marriage, and any of other life’s problems.

Some people may also be happy and content with their life and it’s not a bad thing. But if you also feel like there’s still enough room for improvement which there always will be, you can also sign up for life coaching.

From research, there are different reasons why most people decide to enroll in coaching sessions. The most common among these include;

• 64% get life coaching to achieve some life goals
• 51% get life coaching to help them attain happiness
• 48% sign up for coaching to help them find their purpose
• 44% get coaching to help them find and engage their passion
• 43% get coaching in the hope of improving their career
• 39% believe coaching can help build their self-confidence, and
• 38% get coaching to improve their relationship or love life

Does life coaching really help?

The data above is attributed to the International Coach Federation; (ICF) is the coaching profession’s most credible organization across the world. I’ll also be using more of this data from ICF and then, another source in the form of Life Coach Spotter to answer this question of whether a life coach really works.

Aside from documenting the different expectations of most people from life coaching, the data also revealed how much most people end up getting.

From these reliable sources, I gathered that;

• About 80% of individuals who get life coaching saw an improvement in self-confidence
• Another 72% saw significant improvement in their communication skills
• And 57% of those who get life coaching also get to improve their time management skills

Life coaching does work, and only the client can judge the extent of their improvements.

But if you’re contemplating getting a life coach, it will most probably turn out a wise decision especially if you’re able to get a very good coach.

As it turns out, you’ll never truly get to experience what a particular coach really is until you’ve spoken with him/her. However, some coaches usually offer free consultations to get you started and this should give you a slight idea of what lies ahead.

What to Expect from a Life Coach

Your life coach will take an objective look at your life and will help guide you on a path to improvement.

While a life coach may not necessarily tell you the exact things you need to do to achieve your goals, they’ll help you tap into your own innate abilities, your morals and ideas, and originality so you can manage life’s problems in the best way.

Your life coach will be like your greatest cheerleader, helping you set goals, staying motivated, and ever committed to those goals. But then, you also have to be motivated to work with the coach, right from the very first session.

During sessions, the coach will discuss with you severally, trying to get answers from the discussions so they can guide those sessions and the whole coaching to a productive outcome. Being straightforward with your coach will prove very helpful.

Ordinarily, you can expect your life coach to challenge you to;

• Achieve clarity of purpose
• Overcome weaknesses
• Capitalize on your strengths
• Shatter limitations
• Develop new skills
• Cultivate of positive habits
• Strategic reasoning
• Accountability, etc

Working with a Career Coach

While some coaches are usually able to deal with a host of diverse situations, there are times when the coaching will be needed in just a particular area of life. Some of these common areas of life may be an individual’s professional career, their relationship or marriage, their health, etc.

When you need help with your profession, you need a career coach!

Whether you’re currently disillusioned with your current job or just experiencing any type of career crisis, you can count on the help of a career or job coach.

Career coaches employ complex psychological theory along with career research, and their understanding of the current job market and organizational processes to help individuals throughout the career coaching process.

The career coaching process will basically aim at;

• Evaluation of your current skills, experience, and qualifications
• Exploring your options and crafting a clear and realistic career plan
• Marketing your skills to decision-makers in the recruitment sector
• Getting access to market intelligence and necessary resources to uncover opportunities
• Landing your dream job and improving yourself for future opportunities

Benefits of a Career Coach

There are numerous benefits you can expect from hiring a career coach.

Some of the most common ones include;

• Helping you improve your career progression at your current job
• Helping you find a balance between your personal life and work life
• Helping you identify your role or move into new roles
• Helping you explore your career options and change career directions
• Helping you overcome the feeling of being stuck in your career
• Managing all forms of career risks,
• Positioning yourself for future opportunities

Along with the career, coaches can help individuals work on a lot of other areas of their lives from your relationship to your love life, finances, health, personal aspirations, etc.

If you’re able to find a great life coach, your investment in this will likely turn out to be the best dollars you’ve ever spent.

Author’s Bio:

Bijan Kholghi is a life coach with special psychological education in hypno-systemic coaching. His teacher Dr Gunther Schmidt is the founder of Milton Erickson Institute in Heidelberg (Germany), a direct student of Milton H. Erickson, and a leading figure in psychotherapy education in Europe. His highly effective coaching and therapy method help people getting aware of their unconscious pattern and gaining control over them. This leads to a more fulfilled and happier life. Contact: [email protected]