A new friend recently asked me, “Is life coaching like therapy?” I think this is a common misconception. Therapy focuses on mental health and emotional well-being. It is often based on the past and present. Life Coaching helps clients set and achieve future goals. Life coaching focuses on what’s next -- changing behaviors to achieve desired outcomes one step at a time.
Perhaps some examples from my life coaching practice will inspire you to ask yourself more questions.
“It seems I have a new business idea to pursue every week.”
How does each opportunity fit into your stated career goal? There are only so many hours in a week. When you pursue a new idea, what happens to your last area of focus? Is the new one better or just different? How do you evaluate this? Let’s look at this week.
“I want to find more meaningful work.”
What do you love doing? What are your strengths? Make a long list. What do you think the world needs? Why? How can you use your passions and talents to make the world a better place? What existing organizations are working on this? What excites you more -- joining an effort in progress or starting something new to effect change? What is one step you can take this week to explore a new opportunity?
“I’m ready to retire but have no idea what I will do with my time.”
Let’s identify your passions. What do you do on your days off work? On vacation?
Say the first thing that comes to mind –
If my work schedule was different, I would…
I wish I had time to…
When I was young, I used to spend my time on…
If I could go back to school, I would study…
If I could buy another house, it would be where and why…
The one thing I would do to improve my health would be…
After identifying some areas of passion, we will begin crafting a transition plan to a fulfilling retirement lifestyle.
“I need to get out and spend time with others, but I get bored with small talk.”
Define small talk. What can you learn from time with others? What are your friends’ talents? What can your friends teach you? What can they learn from you? How will improving your communication with friends benefit your work? How can you spend time with a friend this week? When can you set this up?
“I’m confused by so many options.”
While too many choices can be overwhelming, it’s also a wonderful place to be. Having options is like having a wallet full of money… you just need to plan how to save and spend it. Let’s count out the bills together…
“I am unproductive and want to learn to focus.”
How do you currently plan what you want to do or achieve each day/week? Tell me about a time you had a goal and worked efficiently to reach it? What worked and why? How can you apply that knowledge? Which organizational tools have worked for you in the past? Let’s look specifically at tomorrow and this week.
What questions do you have?