I’ve been working on my certification to become a Life Coach (SO excited about this!!) and have been learning a lot so far! To shine a little bit of light on what that is, a Life Coach is someone who helps others accomplish goals in their lives, no matter what they may be (career, spiritual, personal, health, you name it). They do this by being someone the person can stay accountable to, as well as being a teammate in coming up with new perspectives and thinking strategies the person may not have been able to come up with themselves. Life Coaches provide listening support as their clients come to them with challenges they’re facing, as well as ways for their client to challenge themselves in accordance to meeting their goals. These are just some of the many ways they can help, but are not to get confused with Therapists, Psychologists, Counselors, etc., as Life Coaches are not licensed to help people in the many areas these other professionals can help. Now that we’re on the same page about that, I wanted to share some of the things I’ve been learning:
One idea that has been stressed over and over again in my training, is how important it is for an individual who wants to change, to recognize the need for that change in their own life. No matter where they are in the process of reaching their goals, acknowledging that there is something about them that needs to change, is the first step and very VERY important! (How will you be able to change if you don’t recognize that you need to?)
Another very important step to the changing process is visualization. This is seeing yourself as who you can become! Are you holding that team trophy after playing in the basketball finals? Are you happily married with a couple of kids? Are you teaching a subject you’re so passionate about in a room full of engaged students? Actually being able to not only see this vision of who you want to be but truly believing it is HUGE on getting you there!
For example, when I want to change something about myself (maybe being more patient) and I’m faced with a decision where I can either choose: A. Collect all the reasons in my head why sitting in traffic is pulling the last straw for me today so I can get sympathy from my husband because I’ve had it so rough (aka the “poor me” route), or B. Turn on music/an audio book/podcast that I love and knock out two birds with one stone while I’m waiting for something outside of my control to clear, it’s so much easier to make the decision when I tell myself I’m going to be a very patient person one day and that I really believe it. Although the first option is tempting (especially if it involves a back scratch or dinner that I don’t have to make), I know I’ll be helping myself out so much more if I choose the latter.
Over a lifetime of dedicated study to the variety of topics that interest me, I’ve discovered a new model to follow when it comes to wanting to change yourself and then actually accomplishing it, and I’m SO excited about it!! It includes 5 steps, and you may have guessed it, the first step is Belief.
Now remember, this belief isn’t simply just believing that you can do it (although that makes sense, right?), it’s TRULY believing you can do it. What does truly mean? As Webster’s Dictionary puts it, it’s “in all sincerity”, “without feigning, falsity, or inaccuracy in truth or fact”, and “with exactness of construction or operation”. You need to have hope and confidence without reservation, and trust that you are going to do this! With this belief, you can and will see your desired results. As you carry your belief with you throughout your process of change, like a seed, it’s critical that you continue to nourish and take care of it. Below, I’ll list some of the basic steps needed to grow a seed. I’ll leave it up to you to decide how you can apply each of these steps to your seed of belief:
- Place your seed into good soil (making sure it’s deep but not too deep)
- Water it every day (this can also include fertilizing)
- Make sure it’s getting sunlight every day
- Uproot the weeds that grow around it
Like a seed, your belief can grow to become a beautiful flower, a strong tree, or whatever you may choose it to be.
It’s also important to note that truly believing will lead you to act. There’s no way you can truly believe in something or someone and not be moved to do anything about it. This takes us to our next four steps which I will dive further into over the course of this month!
Share Your Thoughts