by Janet Varnes

Created on: October 26, 2008

Life Coaching has been in the news for the last ten years offering expertise in many different areas of life process. In 1998 I began to see ads for these types of coaches and with my inquisitive nature my investigation was on. Although we know therapists and the psychologist have their specialties but one thing I found they did not have in common was calling out our inner student to have homework with this new study of self. The other difference was a Coach is not kidding if you have homework you had best have it done on time. Another difference in Life Coaching is that there is no crisis counseling, no calling a pager for emergencies but therecan be a Internet connection provided for those of us that are perplexed about what if anything is going on.

The Life Coach also has a required commitment to their process. You must commit to eight weeks of coaching for results to take place and you must also commit financially. Still it is unknown if coaches are covered under you medical plan, but could be if you have a flexible spending account. Either way it is well worth your fee.

Life Coaching is just like it says helping a client work on something they need to change or add to their life but have not succeeded. Asking for help to grow and make better decisions is a wonderful gift to give to yourself or someone you know who could also benefit from this type of one on one present day agenda. Coaches are trained to listen on many levels to hear what is actually tripping you up or stalling the process. Coaches have one clear thought in mind and that is keeping a clients agenda. Because most people have a little inner voice that keeps us stuck a coach can see or hear this and with the correct questions and methodology can help the client identify this "gremlin" as they name it in the profession. This "gremlin" is the part of you that convinces you that your goals cannot be reached or that you are not smart enough to figure it out. It is a universal problem to lie to ourselves. But sooner or later the balloon will keep flying up out of the water.

A clients agenda is established early on in the sessions and followed through until the process is finished and the problem is replaced with the remedy to move forward until the next time we forget what we have been taught. Most clients are amazed at the "gremlins" strength at keeping them stuck. Most Coaches will tell you the most rewarding part of the profession is when a question is asked and the client has this lit up look of "I get it" on their faces. Coaches call it landing. When it lands you can see it and the clients face says it all. It is from that point the coaches job becomes easier to help the client put into place a way to motivtate themselves with a personal stuctured way of setting and reaching their goals with more ease and faster results.

The job of the coach is to find the proper methodology that works for their client on a personal level. Results are the motivating factors for their clients. Because they can see the results and with their new structured methods they can continue to set and reach their goals with ease on their own.

Learn more about this author, Janet Varnes.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.