What Coaching Really Is

A few years ago I called a woman back who had inquired about coaching and she said: "Thanks for calling me back so quickly. It helps to keep the momentum going". At that moment what coaching REALLY is became crystal clear!

Impulses for Change

From time to time, we get impulses for change. It might be because we get inspired. We might see someone else with what we want. A new possibility might occur to you. You may have a flash of insight. A friend or colleague challenges you. Most often it's because something has gotten worse than we're willing to tolerate, and we say: "I've had enough!"

Whatever the reason, this impulse for change comes along at certain intervals in our life. However, we all know the impulse rarely lasts. Last week I had an impulse to exercise (again). However, it's not particularly consistent, and doesn't always come at times when it's convenient for me to exercise.

You may have thought: "You know - my relationship really could be better. Surely this isn't as good as it gets?" And the next day the impulse is gone. Or "What would it take to double my profits? I'm really going to make some changes in this business when I get less busy". A few days later your focus is on something else.

OR, are you the kind of person who takes on new projects with gusto, to find out that a few weeks or months later it feels old hat, and you follow a familiar pattern of switching to something else?

So IMPULSES FOR CHANGE DO NOT LAST. This is why we human beings do not make so many of the changes that are possible in our lives.

Without coaching - without a STRUCTURE - our natural tendency is to keep our patterns. Go to work. Make money. Keep the same relationships. Keep the same barriers. Want the same things to change but don't change them. Feel an impulse for change - lose the impulse for change. Staying the same is the natural outcome.

But Do We Need to Change?

No. But wouldn't it be wise? These impulses for change are the signals telling you what is next for you in life. They are your intuition letting you know that you are missing opportunities. They are messages (sometimes subtle) about what you would ~really~ like to do in your life, what your business needs, the perfect job, who you should be with right now.

If I may get a little deep for just a moment - they are not only the signals that will help us achieve the goals we are striving for, but the signals that are telling us how to evolve as people. If we ignore these impulses, we'll feel restless at a very deep level - knowing something is wrong, but not sure what. Not understanding this restlessness, we must seek ways to quiet it - TV, movies, alcohol, smoking, over-reading etc.

OK - I'm getting a little off track but I think you get my point. It's important that these impulses do not get left by the way side. You want the secret to achieving your goals and having an amazing life? FIND A WAY TO HARNESS THESE IMPULSES.

The Coaching Structure

At it's simplest, coaching may be described as a structure. Coaching harnesses that energy for change; those impulses that last from a moment to a few weeks. If you feel an impulse to exercise more you may exercise once - until the next impulse. But if you join a gym for a year and hire a personal trainer, you ~will~ be fit! In fact it would be very hard to avoid it having set up this structure.

Coaching is a similar structure, for any goal that's important to you. You make a commitment to your goals, and to working for a certain time frame with a coach. This is often 3 months or 6 months, usually with one or more review points to assess progress. Normally once a week you have a conversation with your coach, and you commit to specific actions to move you forward. Within a coaching structure, your natural tendency is to pursue your goals and achieve them. It's ~hard~, in fact very hard to keep your patterns and your life the same when you focus so much consistent attention on what you really want, and make promises to a third party.

With a coach, the man who feels an impulse to change careers isn't still thinking about it in three months time. He's hired a coach, he's found a new career possibility that inspires him, and he has a new resume and ten interviews lined up.

With a coach, the woman who wants to organize her business so that she has time for herself isn't still complaining about it in six months time. She's hired a coach, created an empowering time allocation, set her boundaries, hired an assistant, looks obviously happier and is therefore attracting more clients.

So here's the key: Without a coach, the path of least resistance is to keep your life the same. Impulses for change often do not last long enough to act upon.

With a coach, the path of least resistance is to achieve your goals! Impulses for change are converted to momentum.

Summary

So would coaching be a smart investment for you right now? Are you the kind of person who could benefit?

You decide. I say it's for people who recognize that coaching is a powerful structure for harnessing their energy for change, and to help them move forward.
If you're content for the next five years to be similar to the last five years, then you don't need any input or help from anyone. However, aren't you curious to know what your life could be like in five years time if you harnessed your impulses for change, carried them through, and had fun while doing it?

Enjoy!