Coaching Surrounds Us In Every Walk Of Life
By Holly Lochinger
The term “Life Coach” is one which appears to be misunderstood by a lot of people. What is interesting is that when you hear a sports pundit say “football coach” or something to that effect, nobody questions it. Others believe that unless you have an avalanche of qualifications and experience within a specific field, you cannot declare a certain title. My guess is that’s why so many scoff at the idea of “life coaching”.
So what is a coach? In simple terms, a coach is someone who helps another person (or group of people) achieve a specific outcome or result. A main element of this is done by focusing on the person’s strengths and minimising any potential blocks or weaknesses that get in the way of the desired outcome. Of course coaching can fall into many different categories. Everything from a tennis or weight loss coach to an Executive or Life Coach; coaches come in countless different forms and exist in all walks of life.
There is A Life Coach in All Of Us
Truth be told we are all “life coaches” in our own way. Does that make us experts at life? No. Does that mean we don’t qualify at having had any experience in life then either? Of course not. What it does mean though is that, as individuals, we all have something unique and powerful to share and contribute towards others based on our own personal experiences.
Coaching is something that takes place either directly or indirectly all around us. For example, you’re having a coffee with a friend and talking about your relationship with your partner. To gain a better understanding of the situation your friend will probably ask questions and from there help you to reach some sort of conclusion or decision.
Is that not what the majority of our conversations revolve around every day? Searching for answers and striving for some sort of progress in all areas of our life? Whether we are at work or home we are constantly looking for ways to improve and “upgrade” in one way or another.
The core essence of being human is to want to grow and develop…. continuously. We do that through discovery and learning. What brings that entire process to fruition is life experience, not words or other people’s opinions. It is our own perception of the world around us and what we make of it at any given moment in time that impacts us. This defines where we are mentally and emotionally and what direction we are headed.
Every single one of us has hopes and dreams, fears and insecurities. No matter how all of these may differ from person to person, the one goal that we all ultimately have is to be “happy”. Studies show that the two key factors which determine a person’s overall happiness, without exception, is emotional wellbeing and mental health.
Moving Towards “Coaching” As A Global Community
What is very exciting to know is that in the last 30 years the World Happiness Report reveals that global happiness has increased by 0.14 times, proving that we are at least going in the right direction. Wellness and mindfulness are now becoming hot topics of debate more than ever before amongst many cultures.
No one can argue that information, technology and communication have played a huge part in elevating the standard of living that we have now become accustomed to around the planet. People are connecting with each other in ways that were not possible before and using their strongest skills to provide a service to others. Take the idea of a service that adds value and provides a solution, distance no longer being a problem, if anything an opportunity. Is that in itself not a form of coaching? Companies globally are catching on to this “coaching approach” to boost staff retention and enhance staff morale. This is showing to benefit the company’s overall levels of customer satisfaction and annual profits.
Coaching – A Daily Way Of Living And Being
If more coaching techniques were adopted both formally and informally, the ripple effect in ever day living would be immeasurable. Sensitive subjects such as self-esteem and confidence could be addressed a lot more quickly and efficiently, potentially preventing conditions such as depression later on in life. Personal excellence and perseverance would be focal points for the average person leading to a sense of purpose and true life fulfilment. The quality of communication in our relationships would improve all round, touching the lives of others everywhere.
Coaching is a principal that is playing a vital role. It is the belief and faith in the potential of ourselves and those around us that keep our spirit alive and striving to be the very best we can be, consistently. Irrespective of the label, that is the true beauty that coaching provides in every way, shape and form and on every level.
Holly Lochinger is an Empowerment Coach dedicated to helping women who don’t believe in themselves or their dreams. Through various coaching methods, such as NLP and mindfulness, Holly enables her clients to experience huge shifts immediately, so they can feel more confident in all areas of their life. Holly is also the founder of Think Tranquility, a blog which provides practical online coaching for anyone wanting to achieve more daily balance and fulfilment. To receive a free copy of her eBook “Your Passport to Freedom” visit www.thinktranquility.com