Life coaching for the win
Happy International Coaching Week! Did you know that was a thing? I didn't either. Until recently.
The International Coaching Federation presses pause on business as usual this week to highlight the value of coaching, to encourage coaches to give back, and to equip those of us who make their living at coaching to help change lives.
The pressing pause stuff resonates with me. I like to help my clients press pause on their busy lives and choose what matters most. And, when it comes to coaching, I think it's just as important to press pause and appreciate what coaching can do for us.
Reflecting on my coaching journey
To be honest, I never knew i wanted to be a coach. You see, back in the day when I was still an Adult Ministry Director and coordinating Bible studies, and adult Sunday School classes and the like, I had never met a life coach.
But I did know that I wanted to become a speaker someday. So I signed up for a speaker's conference and almost every presenter at the conference was a life coach. I returned home curious about what life coaching could be and got connected with a local coaching school, Learning Journeys.
I dove in head first and haven't looked back. The reality? I LOVED coaching. Mostly, because I saw it as a vehicle to change my life and change the lives of other women. I learned that coaching is about pressing pause to evaluate where you are, who you want to become, and how you will get there. The light bulb really turned on when I discovered that I was not stuck where I was. I could choose how I showed up in each and every situation. I could choose my next steps. I could choose to lean into what God had next for me and embrace each step. I was all in.
The Heart of a Coach
Flash forward almost 4 years later and I'm thankful for my decision. You see, I had no idea if I would like coaching or if I would even be good at it. But the longer I coach women, the more I realize it doesn't matter if I'm good at it. The heart of a coach is the heart of someone who wants to help others become who they were meant to be. The heart of a coach is someone whose only motive is to help you see the possibility that your life holds and inspire courage to take those next steps in making it happen. The heart of a coach is a cheerleader walking with you as you dream big dreams and go after them.
The Benefits of Coaching
I know what you're thinking. Living out your dreams is not for the weak at heart. And if you lean in, I'll tell you a secret....
There's nothing magical about coaching tools or the programs. The thing that's magical? Coaching provides a sacred space for you to press pause and get to know who God made you to be. Coaching helps you discover the goals and desires that are hidden below the surface. Coaching helps you become emotionally whole as you address the obstacles and fears and limiting beliefs that stand in the way of you taking that next step.
Taking the next step to where, you might ask? The next step to growing in Christ. The next step to trying a new career. The next step toward building a better marriage. The next step to launching a new business. The next step to saying no to what's good so you can say yes to what's best.
I think I've digressed. For those of you who want a bulleted list of the benefits, here you go. Coaching can help you:
Discover what matters most (align your life and values)
Discover your God-given purpose (Most of the time in the middle of the life you're already living)
Identify the obstacles that may be holding you back
Create goals and action plans and actually accomplish them
Celebrating Coaching
I would do coaching for free. I don't. Moose has gotta eat. But I love being invited to the table where gals set goals and identify the fears and limits that may be holding them back. I love being a partner with gals who want to invest in themselves. I love helping women live fully with all their gifts and strengths and become the women God made them to be. Mostly, I love the light bulb moment. Just like I had 4 years ago. That our purpose and significance lies in embracing the story God is already writing. We just need to choose to go live it.
So, I celebrate and embrace my new profession because when done well, it has the power to change your life and mine. It helps us find clarity. It helps us live with intention. It helps us become who God made us to be.
Ready to give coaching a try?
I believe in coaching so much that I have a coach. I couldn't tell you to get one if I wasn't being coached, could I? And if anything I've written today resonates with you, maybe coaching would be something you'd like to try. You're in luck! I offer a discoveryvcoaching session for you to see what coaching is like and discover some clarity on your life direction. Schedule online, we'll meet for coffee and talk all the things of life and purpose and living on mission for God.
