motivate

4 Benefits of Working with a Personal Coach

4 Benefits of Working with a Personal Coach

In each of our lives, there are inflection points, moments in which we have key choices to make in our careers or personal lives.  Perhaps you’re trying to decide whether to remain in your current job or return to school to obtain new training or a degree or even to take those special skills of yours and strike out on your own as a business entrepreneur.  Whatever the challenge, you don’t have to make these critical choices on your own.  There are skilled professionals who have the training and experience to help—personal coaches.

A personal coach will help motivate you and clarify your goals so you can make informed decisions and improve the quality of your life.  Personal coaches are skilled communicators and motivators with powerful people and organizational skills.  Although there is no specific degree program that directly prepares people to become personal coaches, most have experience in counseling, consulting, social work, teaching, or human resource management—and many have obtained specialized post-graduate training to enhance their effectiveness.

If you’ve never worked with a personal coach but are considering hiring one to get you from where you are to where you want to go, you probably want to know the precise ways in which a personal coach can help you.  Specifically, your personal coach will help you:

  1. Clarify your goals:  success is at the intersection of what you love doing and what you do better than almost anyone else.  A personal coach will help you identify those activities which energize and motivate you, and then determine from among these the ones in which you excel.  For example, you might be the person to whom everyone comes when they have a problem because they know you’ll be compassionate and have the skills to find a solution—but it might never have occurred to you that those people and problem-solving skills would make you a successful counselor or psychologist.  Your coach will not only help you identify your skills and competencies, but also show you what steps you need to take to launch a new career which better meets your needs.
  2. Stick to your plan:  one of the reasons people’s plans fall off the rails is that they encounter obstacles and eventually lose interest.  A personal coach will help you understand that those obstacles are part of the process of making progress and help you keep your eyes on the prize.   In those moments when you’ve experienced failure and begin to lose heart, your coach will remind you of how much progress you’ve already made and help you understand how much closer you are to your goal today than you were yesterday.
  3. Give objective feedback:  if you’ve ever shared a problem with a friend or family member, only to hear them tell you what they think you want to hear, you know how valuable unbiased feedback can be.  Your coach is there to ensure that you make progress towards your goals—when your coach evaluates the actions you need to take, he or she will do so objectively, providing an honest and forthright assessment of what you’re doing right—and what you’re doing wrong.
  4. Focus on you:  as much as those close to you want to help, they have problems and concerns of their own.  Your coach has a single-minded purpose—to help you.  You will always have his or her complete attention, unimpeded by his or her own concerns and issues.

Conclusion

Anything worth doing requires both hard work and a commitment strong enough to carry you through the rough patches and obstacles in your way.  By working with a personal coach, you will have a determined and constant advocate who will help you move outside of your comfort zone to face whatever challenges are in your way.   Personal coaching will enhance your personal development, help you achieve your career goals, and ensure you take the actions necessary to get you where you need to be, and where you want to go.

Want to find out more about Nadia’s take control coaching program? Find out more here!

The Mind is a Powerful Motivator for Success

A powerful mindset is a valuable asset in your quest for success. The health of your mind and your body are directly connected and have influential power. Do you really believe you can succeed in your work life and relationships? The answer to this question will often be the deciding factor in whether you succeed or fail.

Affirmations

Reciting affirmations is a key method to keeping your mindset powerful. You will need to begin by focusing your goals and positive thoughts and writing them down on a sheet of paper.

Negative Example: “I am terrible at doing my job.”

Positive Example: “I make wise business decisions.”

Spend a short time revising these statements until you think they accurately describe your values and your goals. Reciting these affirmations daily will help you convince your mind they are true.

Perhaps you are thinking, “what is this trickery?” Affirmations are not magic, you are simply tapping into the power that your mind holds over your decisions and pursuits. Conversely, negative affirmations are the natural enemy of wise decisions. Often we speak negative affirmations about ourselves unintentionally. The purpose of creating focused, positive affirmations is to combat the temptation to think negative thoughts.

Positive Thinking

Similar to affirmations, positive thinking is a powerful yet simple tool to help you succeed. Positive thinkers are more adept at trudging through difficulties and failures. Imagine a time you failed at something and reacted with a negative mindset; most likely you didn’t try again. Reacting positively to failures will help you get back up and try again. Once you recognize a failure as a positive stepping stone to your next success, it will be easier to react in a positive manner.

Negative Example: “I failed my latest business presentation, so I must be terrible at public speaking.”

Positive Example: “This new product I created has a fatal flaw, but I know how to fix it and I will create a better product!”

Try to reframe how you approach failure. Combat negative feelings with positive thinking and you will begin to see an improved attitude.

Journaling

Many people benefit from the act of journaling. This could mean you write a log of your day before bed, or maybe you write your plan for the day in the morning. The act of physically writing these words helps release tension built-up during the day. In the morning, it will help get your powerful mindset ready for the day.

Journaling can also be used with positive affirmations. Try writing your positive affirmations in your journal in the morning and write your plan for the day. You will be pleased to find how well your mind will follow your direction.

Mindfulness and Meditation

It is important to create time to recharge and be calm, especially during a stressful week. Recharging can help you think more clearly to make the best decisions possible. Are mindfulness and meditation the same thing? Not really. Mindfulness is the act of “being present” wherever you are; it really is just a focused form of meditation. Practically, this could look like avoiding the temptation to “hurry.” Focus on one task at a time. Don’t worry about the past or future; pay attention to what you are doing at that moment. This can be accomplished anywhere.

As for meditation, this is a dedicated time intended to clear your mind and relax your body. Many people find that they cannot withstand silence for a couple of minutes; this improves with practice. If you give yourself even just one minute each day to meditate and be still you will quickly notice the benefits emerge. Perhaps you find yourself frustrated most days at work feeling frantic about project deadlines. With scheduled meditation, you will notice you become calmer during a stressful situation. Meditation is simple: try taking 1-5 minutes to yourself in the morning. Start by sitting comfortable and tall. Focus on your breath as you inhale and exhale. As you sit calmly and breathe, your thoughts will slow and you will become calm. Meditation takes practice so be gentle with yourself in the beginning stages. Additionally, one way to combine mindfulness and meditation is to focus on a specific affirmation. Speak this affirmation repeatedly during your meditation.

Used diligently, these tips will help you create a powerful mindset and set you up for success in your work life and relationships.

 

If you would like to learn more about creating a powerful mindset, then contact me to find out more about my Take Control Coaching program!