As we come up to the end of the year, People often feel an increase in anxiety as they note the many items on their annual to-do list which are yet to be ticked off.
I’d like to ask you a question: Have you succeeded in meeting your goals and objectives for this year yet? Well, if you haven’t, there’s a little time left to bring things to a nice, sweet conclusion or at least map out your 2019.
Perhaps, you may not have even begun your journey yet, it is not too late to start.
If you truly want to set yourself up for success in 2019, BE DELIBERATE, and GET SOME HELP!
Whether it’s a mentor, a coach, a hand-holder, an accountability buddy, Inspirer or Encourager:
FIND YOUR HELPER.
You would know exactly who you need to support you on your journey. Think carefully, and then reach out and get that help.
WHY GET A COACH?
I want to recommend coaching if you are serious about finding your path, identifying your purpose and chasing your passion – it just so happens I can’t quite do that without sharing part of my story. Why get a coach you say? Personally, the answer was pretty obvious to me after nearly 3 decades holding down a respectable career as a corporate lawyer and senior compliance professional, while always feeling like ”there has to be more to life than this!” I also knew that my ‘more’ could not be satisfied by my employer or my day job.
I learned the hard way that it was nearly impossible to simultaneously hold a vision, map out a path, walk that path and measure my own progress. I was so often distracted by the apparently conflicting demands of my day job, my dream job, and my family responsibilities that it seemed impossible to follow my heart down the seemingly uncertain path it was calling me. Even my body seemed to throw obstacles in my path as muscle fatigue, sleep deprivation and stress-induced headaches threatened to eclipse my vision.
As I thought about the challenges in my path, I realised that I already knew what I needed. I needed (1) an overarching view of my long-term goals; (2) a cogent understanding of my near-term strategies; and (3) a confident yet realistic approach to walking my daily path without sabotaging my dream. I had to find a way to live successfully in the present, and still find a way to begin building my future life.
Wearing many different hats that each demanded my full attention, each of them requiring me to adopt a different perspective and persona, it was no wonder that I felt frustrated, exhausted, irritated and overwhelmed. It is hard (if not impossible) to be fully present in more than one place at a time, so we face the danger of conducting one activity from the perspective of another. I constantly felt like a runner on a never-stopping treadmill – out of breath and exhausted.
I knew I needed to stop sabotaging myself – it was time to reach out and get some help and direction. I did myself a favour and hired a great coach to help me gain perspective, and the rest is now beautiful history, though still in the making. Thanks to the amazing work my coach did with me, I succeeded in becoming a published author in just over 60 days of writing the first few lines of my book.
ADVANTAGES OF COACHING
You see, coaching offers a solution by providing objective recognition, validation and reinforcement. A coach helps you to clarify your goals, test your plans against your resources and your intentions, and measure your progress. A coach keeps you accountable and so helps you to live up to the standards you set for yourself, while reminding you to enjoy the journey as you travel.
I think of coaching as almost an intimate process. Your coach (if they are a right fit for you) will know how to meet you where you are, equip you and help you across the bridge from where you are to where you want to be. They should never demand perfection from you; they should rather coach you into being the best version of yourself that you can possibly be. Our call is not to be or become perfect. It is about unveiling a better version of yourself each day. Now, whilst this may be my own mushy way of describing the coaching experience, you get the picture – the moral of the story is that if you are serious about making a change, get help. Get a coach!
Personally, the kind of business coaching and personal growth coaching which I offer my clients is predominantly motivating, instructing, focusing, correcting and encouraging them to find solutions to their own problems and to achieve a fundamental way of being in the world that flows organically and authentically from who they really are. For me, it has to be customized to be realistic, authentic, sustainable and fulfilling.
1. What Are My Goals and Expectations Around Hiring A Coach?
For me, I wanted someone to help me gain perspective, give me a blueprint and show me how to get from where I was, to where I wanted to be!
2. What’s My Time Frame for Achieving Them?
For me, I wanted it like yesterday – I had sat in limbo and put my dreams on ice for decades, and so I wanted to see immediate change!
3. What’s My Learning Style? What Kind of Person Is Likely to Support That Style?
For me, being a strong and passionate person, I needed a strong-willed coach, someone who not only knew their onions but who could also give me a kick up the backside if I needed it – and this is exactly who I got. We were a perfect match, and there were many things I admired about my coach such as her tenacity and drive.
4. How Much Can I Afford to Invest In Coaching?
Here, you need to be realistic but not frugal in your analysis and assessment, as there’s no free lunch and nothing that good will come for peanuts – unless you’re willing to settle for a monkey as your coach!
Bottom line: As long as you choose the right coach, coaching can and will introduce you to the awesome person you are meant to be. The time you invest in choosing your coach will be fully rewarded by their ability to recognize, nurture and evoke your awesome self to shine through!
To Your Brilliance,
Clara Rufai
The Shine Strategist