“I don’t need a life coach, my friends motivate and support me.”
I’ve heard this rationale for not hiring a life coach before. A person who very much needs to make a big life change dismisses life coaching as something that will help. She thinks she has plenty of support in her life already, why hire someone when she already has plenty of cheerleaders on her team?
The problem with this way of thinking is that friends, family and other very supportive people in your life are already there. If you are “stuck” or contemplating a big change, they may be very supportive but may not actually act in a way that helps you accomplish your goals. These people usually want the best for us, but also have vested interests in things working out in a particular way. Worst case scenario, they may actually be part of the reason you are “stuck” in a place you don’t want to be!
How Life Coaching Differs from Friendship
In a healthy friendship, there is a give-and-take. The focus eventually goes to your friend’s family, his golf handicap, or what she did over the weekend. It has to, and it should. Unlike a friendship, a life coaching relationship is unilateral – it’s a one-way street exclusively focused on you and your goals.
As a Life Coach, I am friendly and a people person. I develop great relationships with all of my clients, and we have fun with coaching. But first and foremost, I am not my clients’ friend. My primary role is as their advocate. My clients have come to the realization that they don’t need another parent, sibling, friend, or co-worker telling them what they should be doing. They are ready to pursue the life they were born to live, and have always dreamed of – not to please others or fulfill someone else’s dreams, hopes or aspirations for their life.
How I Can Help You as Your Life Coach
As your Life Coach, I want the best from you and will work with you to help you reach your goals and to succeed. I will hold you accountable and challenge you to grow and do more than you think you can. I may push, pull, and stretch you in ways that feel uncomfortable.
Friends, family and bad or inexperienced coaches might be good at telling you what to do or constantly giving you advice when you come to them with a problem or idea for change. You can even find plenty of instructions or advice for living your best life on the Internet. As a trained and certified Life Coach, my job is not to “instruct” or “advise.” My job is to help you explore and come up with the best choices for you based on where you want to be, and develop a concrete plan with actionable steps to get there. Unlike self-help books or the Internet, I’m working collaboratively with you. Unlike your friends and family, I’m an expert at the process of changing behavior – which is much more valuable than instructions or advice when you truly want to make a change. Warning: it also may be far more effective!
Are you ready to start living the life you always dreamed of? Are there changes you need to make or obstacles you need to overcome to start doing so? Are you ready to get “unstuck”?
Contact me for a complimentary, no-obligations consultation and let’s discuss the possibilities. Or use the Appointment Scheduler on my homepage and pick a time that works for you. I coach 90% of my clients over the phone. I can accommodate out-of-area or on-the-move clients via Skype and have worked with clients as far away as California and Dubai. Those who live in the Washington, DC area have the option of meeting with me one-on-one at a convenient, mutually agreed on location
Read more About Me
Read what my clients have to say about Catharine Ecton Life Coaching on my Testimonials page
The relationship we begin in Life Coaching might not be a friendship. But it just might become one of the most valuable relationships in your life.