What the hell is a life coach anyway?

I don’t know about you, but I had some preconceived notions about what a life coach is and does. In my mind I had a picture of some 22-year-old who took some piddling course and decided that using some flowery language and ideas of love and unity were all they needed to be a life coach. No previous life experience required.

 If you are one of those people currently reading this, I want to say thank you for reading my blog and that, obviously, you are not the person I am talking about. With that fun disclaimer out of the way, let’s dive into what a life coach actually is, what a life coach is not, and how a life coach can help you on your journey.

First, let’s dispel the notions of what a life coach is not. A life coach is not a consultant as there are in various other professions such as business or economics. A life coach is neither a mental nor medical health professional such as a counselor, psychiatrist, or psychologist.  Life coaches do not provide help in dealing with trauma, the past of an individual, nor recommend any sort of medical treatment as those professions do.  Instead, a coach helps individuals move forward with action-oriented steps toward a better future by providing them with skills, encouragement, and accountability.

So, Cole, why would anyone even need a life coach? Well, thank you for asking such an excellent question! Think of hiring a life coach along similar lines as hiring a lawyer, personal trainer, housekeeper, self-defense instructor, or a tree trimmer.  You could do those jobs yourself. After all, you are a smart and capable individual, I have no doubt. I would ask you, though, in doing it yourself would the job get done properly? By investing in a professional might you have saved in effort, time, and efficiency?

A fun analogy for this idea, that I stole from Annie Grace, author of the This Naked Mind, goes like this: Let’s say you are in Los Angeles, and you want to get to Hawaii.  You have a couple of options. One, you have your own rowboat that you launch into the vastness of the Pacific Ocean. We know that you are a smart and capable individual, so you start rowing your ass off toward the general direction of those lush islands. Something you may not have considered is that this arduous, solo endeavor will take a while and be filled with unnecessary peril that could be avoided. Think National Geographic’s shark week.

Another option is a jet plane that regularly departs from LAX. You are correct that it does cost you currency- as most valuable investments do.  Consider, however, what will it save you in effort, time, heart ache, and hurricanes.  It is a much faster mode of transport in which you have an equally smart and capable person, the pilot, helping you arrive at your destination.

A life coach can be like taking that jet plane to Maui. They can help in getting you to where you want to be much sooner than you could have on your own.  With the vantage point they possess, a coach can offer you valuable insights and perspectives that you may have not considered. Through skill and expertise, they can offer you different ways of thinking to replace habitual thought patterns, and exercises to implement in your life that will challenge you to grow. These are just a few of the benefits that a coach can offer you on your journey.

Consider the fact that many top performers in vastly different arenas have coaches. Olympic athletes, people at the peek of human performance, have coaches.  Billionaire CEOs, the titans of business and industry, have coaches.  I would also like to point out that you don’t have to be Elon Musk or Simone Biles to have a coach in your life.  The point I am trying to make is that no matter where you are now physically, financially, emotionally, or spiritually, consider that a coach can be a valuable guide on the journey to where you wish to be. An investment in a life coach is a deep investment in yourself that can provide exponential gain for years to come!

Are you worth investing in yourself? Absolutely you are! Is the intrinsic value that the coach provides you worth the cost? I will posit that it is and that what lies on the other side is worth far more than dollars! Remember that you are a glorious human being that deserves the best not only for yourself but for those wonderful friends and family in your world!