Is Life Coaching a Luxury or a Necessity?

An underlying concern

I had a call recently from a lady who was keen to enrol in our life coach training and certification programme. I commended her on wanting to invest in upskilling herself and adding another ‘string to her bow’ in the form of a new career alternative.

“Yes,” she said “But I’m concerned about whether life coaching can be a viable business for me right now.”

Her statement held no surprise for me. People confronting change need to deal with their fears before they can see opportunity in what they are considering.

“Why, exactly?” I asked her, trying to identify the root cause of her concern.

“Well,” she replied. “Life coaching is a luxury purchase and people cut back on luxuries when money is tight.”

 

Dealing with misguided perceptions

This time, her answer did surprise me. It also reminded me of just how important it is for life coaches to equip themselves to deal with misguided and misinformed perceptions about their craft.

Let’s face it, life coaching has been around for some time now but what it is, and what life coaches do, remains surprisingly poorly understood in many quarters. (That’s why we devote a full page to this on our SA and UK websites. Click here if you’re interested.)

As life coaches and life coach trainers we have a responsibility to educate people about the life changing power of life coaching and why it should – at least in my opinion – be regarded, not as a luxury, but more of a necessity!

 

The world is changing

Let me share a little context.

The world is changing – and rapidly! Not that many years ago it was uncommon for both partners in a relationship (particularly parents) to hold down permanent jobs.

Fast forward to today and the opposite is now true. Most couples are forced to go out to work to maintain the kind of standard of living that would have been possible on one income some years ago.

Things have changed. Lifestyles have changed. And it’s fair to say that the stress, pressure and pace of every day living has changed – for the worse.

Opportunities too, have changed and multiplied substantially, thanks to the Internet and modern technology.

So, rather ironically, we live in a world today where there is greater opportunity than ever before, but – thanks to increased demands on our time and energy – where far fewer of us feel genuinely happy and fulfilled.

Life coaching is, in my opinion, the antidote to this slow poison!

The concept was pretty much unheard of thirty years ago. And, just twenty years ago, was a closely guarded secret of wealthy celebrities. Fast forward to today and life coaching is a self improvement service that just about everyone can get serious benefit from.

 

What life coaching is

Life coaching – at least in the way we advocate it at New Insights – is about reconnecting people with their inner beings and the purpose that they’re uniquely cut out to achieve in this short life.

With effective life coaching, people get to understand and appreciate that it is entirely possible to create the life of their dreams, rather than become resigned to the belief that it is life that controls them.

It’s about helping people to regain their responsibility and their inner power. In this way they get to recognise that, although the past has contributed to who they are and where they find themselves today, it in no way needs to be a determinant of their future.

Life coaching uses tools and techniques that are powerful yet simple. They are known to all of us at some deep level, yet – because they are never formally taught to us at school, in university or in the workplace – we have lost the knowledge and motivation to apply them.

Through life coaching, people come to identify and embrace what it is they authentically value most in life. They learn how to overcome their fears and eradicate their disempowering beliefs so that they can regularly experience the kind of life they really value.

Now, assuming the acceptance of my description of life coaching, can anyone, with hand on heart, still view it as a luxury?

 

A forgotten birthright

If you ask me, living joyfully in harmony with one’s purpose and values is a human’s natural birthright … and yet this has been severely repressed thanks to large scale manipulation by greedy, self centred and power hungry forces.

Through life coaching, and the conscious re-connection to our inner power, we can reclaim that birthright.

 

Changing perceptions

At this point, particularly if you are a life coach or considering becoming one, you may well be thinking:

“That’s all very well and good, Bill, but how can we change the perception of those who continue to think it’s a luxury.”

Well that’s a responsibility that all of us in this amazing industry jointly carry.

To get you thinking, here are a few truths that I believe we need to communicate regularly and effectively:

• Developing and growing as a person is not a luxury. It’s fundamental to being the best you can be and enjoying life to the full.
• Learning to take control of your life is not a luxury. It’s the secret to being happy, successful, inspired and motivated.
• Understanding your value system is not a luxury. It’s vital for knowing who you really are and what you really want from life.
• Dispelling your limiting beliefs and worst fears is not a luxury. It’s a way to break the shackles of inertia and soar above mediocrity.
• Finding your life’s purpose is not a luxury. It is essential if you want to live the life you love.
• Life coaching is not a ‘cost’. It’s a powerful investment in transforming your thinking so that you may live the life of your dreams.

 

 

Listen up, life coaches

If you are already a life coach, here’s what I would say to you:

The world desperately needs you and what you have to offer. But the world is, by and large, too preoccupied with the negativity caused by fear mongering, to recognise this need.

That puts an important onus on you to become a vociferous advocate for life coaching.

You cannot afford to be a shrinking violet in the hope that people will simply beat a path to your door. You need to build an authentic and passionate case for your services … and then you need to shout it from the roof tops, so to speak!

 

Listen up, everyone else

If you’ve never experienced life coaching before, then I strongly suggest you find a little space in your budget (no matter how stretched that might be right now) to hire a coach.

That decision could change your life in many wonderful ways that you may not imagine right now!