6 Ways a Personal Life Coach Can Help You

Everyone goes through major transitions and needs help sometimes. Unfortunately, many people trudge along trying to do it alone. Whether you are starting a business, making a career change, or needing to improve your health, a personal life coach can offer you the insight, mindset shifts, and support you need.

What is a personal life coach?

A personal life coach is more than just a mentor. They’re someone who has walked a path similar to yours, someone who understands the intricacies of your situation. They’re an expert in their field, constantly refining their skills with the help of other professionals, all to better strategize and tailor their approach to your unique needs.

For instance, a business coach might have a track record of launching and managing successful companies, even achieving millionaire status at a young age. A health and wellness coach could have personal experience overcoming significant health challenges, such as losing over one hundred pounds while juggling family responsibilities and hormonal changes.

These achievements of a life coach can inspire confidence in their ability to guide you through your own challenges.

A personal life coach is a master of active listening, fully attuned to your words and needs. They may ask probing questions or reiterate your thoughts to ensure they fully comprehend your situation. They might suggest goals and then follow up to see how you fared when you put them into action.

Their honest feedback is designed to help you gain a broader perspective and critically analyze your thoughts and beliefs. This active listening approach is designed to make you feel heard and valued in your journey.

Ways a life coach could help you

The following is a list of ways personal life coaches help their clients:

Analyze thoughts and beliefs

Actions result from thoughts and emotions. We go through the day with thousands of thoughts that influence our emotions. When you are in a transition, your thoughts can feel chaotic. A life coach can help you pause and consciously identify the thoughts running through your mind. These thoughts can turn into beliefs with enough “evidence” behind them, but they are not always true. Coaching can suggest reframing those thoughts.

Shift mindset

As you become more aware of your thoughts and what is holding you back, your coach will suggest ways to shift your mindset. A shift in perspective can open doors to opportunities. People tend to see the negative in a situation, but sometimes, the best path forward is to change how you view the situation. It may not change your circumstances, but changing how you perceive it can move you forward.

Help you take one step at a time

A coach will remind you that baby steps count. You do not have to do all the things all at once. Do you want to earn your master’s degree to garner a better job? You cannot expect to earn the degree in the first semester. You will need to tackle small, consistent tasks to see forward progress.

Set realistic goals

A personal life coach is an expert at goal setting. They realize the importance of having a vision and creating a pathway. Goals will get you up in the morning and get you excited to work. Focusing on your goals can make all the difference when you face obstacles (and you will). Your coach will help you choose SMART goals: goals that are specific, measurable, accessible, relevant, and timely.

Assess progress

Assessing your progress regularly and making minor tweaks is imperative to meeting a goal. The goal may not change, but the path sometimes needs to change. If something is not working, inform your coach during your check-in. The coach will help you brainstorm ideas and suggest a new first step.

Offer honest support and encouragement

A personal life coach is not your friend. They are the person who will tell it to you straight because they want to see you achieve your goals. A coach will offer support and encouragement and provide accountability. You should be able to trust your coach to give you unbiased feedback that is constructive, not critical.

The best way to find a personal life coach is to ask others in the area of expertise you need. You can find life coaches online, but you want one with a proven track record and an expert with social proof. Also, consider your budget. Personal life coaching fees vary from coach to coach and from specialty to specialty. Group coaching sessions may be a better option financially.

Do I need a personal life coach?

You may need a personal life coach if you are going through a transition or considering making a major move in your life or career. A personal life coach can help with:

• Business or personal goals.
• A big career move.
• Health and wellness.
• Finding your purpose and taking action.
• Building relationships.
• Determining your values and vision.
• Setting realistic goals.
• Major life transitions.

For example, a woman experiencing the challenges of perimenopause, including weight gain and emotional eating, might enlist a personal life coach for health and wellness. The coach might propose a structured approach, starting with a few weeks of food and mood tracking.

This data would then identify patterns and triggers for emotional eating. Together, they may develop a strategic plan to shift her mindset and take steps to manage emotional eating while navigating the hormonal fluctuations of perimenopause.

A man may decide to start a business, but he has no idea how to get started, find customers, and make the company profitable and scalable. He hires a personal life coach who specializes in business.

The coach will discuss the man’s vision, ways to secure capital, and how to get set up. Together they will create a plan to oversee the company’s start and find customers. Periodically, the coach will help the man reassess his business goals and teach him to scale the company.

Working with a personal life coach is not typically a one-and-done session. Depending on your needs and goals, you may work with a personal life coach for several months or years. Some clients use the services of a life coach for several months until they accomplish one goal and then return years later to tackle another larger goal.

Is a life coach the same as a counselor?

A personal life coach is not a counselor or therapist. They cannot diagnose or treat clients for mental health conditions. Personal life coaches can help clients discover the thoughts behind their actions and help them make a change, but only a mental health professional can help them with therapies, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), an effective method to treat various mental conditions.

How often should I see them?

The frequency and format of your sessions with a personal life coach will vary depending on your circumstances. You may see a life coach weekly for twelve in-person sessions. Alternatively, you might need more support and opt for weekly video calls and daily text message check-ins. The frequency will be an agreement between you and the coach.

Some personal life coaches offer one-on-one coaching and group coaching. Group coaching tends to be less expensive than one-on-one since the coach can speak to several clients at once. The coach may hold these groups in person or virtually. Some coaches offer calls in a workshop format for the group and then address clients individually throughout the week.

Next steps

If you’re looking to schedule an appointment with a personal life coach or a licensed counselor, contact us at Los Angeles Christian Counseling in California. We offer both coaching and counseling, with in-person and virtual sessions available. We would love to work with you. Call us today to get started.