Most of us want pretty much the same things, personal happiness, a good job, financial security, the love and support of friends and family, good health and a long life. Sadly, most people don’t know how to manifest even those simple wishes, and they definitely don’t dare pursue their biggest dreams. As a matter of fact, they usually don’t even take the time to reflect on what those dreams are – what truly matters to them as a life well-lived.
That’s where a life coach can help. Coaching is not therapy. Coaching is not consulting or advising – a good coach doesn’t tell the client what to do. Rather, coaching is a collaborative partnership – a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires you to maximize your personal and professional potential. Through coaching, clients deepen their learning, improve performance, and enhance their quality of life. In each meeting or call (coaching is often done over the phone), the coach listens and contributes non-judgmental awareness and observations, and asks thought-provoking questions.
The first thing I help people do is define their passions and their purpose. It’s amazing how many people don’t have a dream, a passion. They usually do down deep inside but they either don’t know what it is or they postpone it, waiting for “some day.” And passion is the single most important ingredient to success. Sure there’s knowledge, skill, integrity and persistence, but if you had to pick one, it’s passion. Passion is the seed from which everything else can be grown. Purpose is another important predictor of future success – not spread sheets and structures and technical expertise. Purpose is what gives personal meaning to your project, career, and life in general. I think we ALL want to have a sense of meaning in our lives, don’t we?
So if you already know what your passions and purpose are, why is coaching important? In this day and age, we tend to be so reactive to daily, hourly demands and responsibilities. We end up like the hamster on the wheel – running running running often out of breath. In a coaching relationship you take time to proactively direct your life in the direction you want to go. When people come to me for coaching, whether it’s “get unstuck” in their career, work/life balance, personal relationships, or general personal fulfillment … I ask two very important questions:
1) What do you want and WHY? The why is the spark behind it – that’s often your passion and your purpose
2) What are you willing to do about it?
These questions are potent and perhaps provocative, but the whole idea behind coaching is that you are hiring someone to supportively hold you accountable for getting where you want to go.
So after I help you evaluate your life in various areas whether it is health, family, career, finances, emotional well-being, we go through an extensive goal-setting process so we come away with clarity on what you are facing, focus on what’s most important to you, and a structure to move forward so that you know exactly what your next action steps are. I am there with you for guidance, insight, and feedback, and to help keep you on track.
The average coaching program is about 9-12 months, but it can range anywhere from 3 months to 3 years. Each week includes an hour of one-to-one coaching, plus access to me via phone, email, texting for quick spur-of-the-moment questions or to share a big aha moment or ask for a quick pep talk. I also give homework each week – often these are exploratory writing exercises and/or action steps to take in order to move forward. The client is encouraged to provide input on these assignments and they’re specifically tailored each week to the client’s needs, time available, and goals.
There’s a saying “No one gets to the Olympics without a coach, so why would you try to win your best life without one?”
And another quote I love is by Ara Parasheghian: “A good coach will make his players see what they CAN be, rather than what they are.”
Rena Hedeman is a professional career and life coach based in Concord, Massachusetts. As a Catalyst For Change, she works with professionals seeking more meaningful success in their work and/or personal lives by helping them get brutally honest with themselves, face their fears, confront their negative and self-sabotaging thoughts and behaviors, and get out of their own way to live a more abundant, joyful, and meaningful life. Rena’s clients range from doctors, lawyers, at-home moms, university professors, graduate students, and solo entrepreneurs located throughout the United States.
