3 Things to Consider Before Investing In A Coach

I’ve learned that only about 10% of the population actually enjoys change. They are the people who look for ways to disrupt or change things on purpose. The rest of us normal people☺don’t so much like change.

Change is hard and if you’re anything like me, you put off making the changes you know you need to make because it’s so damn hard.

But at some point you get tired of things being the way they have always been and you find yourself ready for something to shift. Problem is you’re not really sure what to do now.

If you’re ready for change but feel stuck and unsure how to get moving, then investing in a coach may be a good step for you. I’ve shared before about the benefits of coaching but how do you know if that’s what you need or how to find the right coach. Here are a few things that can help you sort it all out.

Coach or Counselor

Coaching can sometimes get confused with counseling. While a well-trained coach may utilize some counseling tools, coaching is not the same as counseling. Counseling tends to focus more on your past and healing old wounds while coaching is very much future oriented.

Coaching is about bridging the gap between where you are and where you want to be. Coaching looks ahead. At the same time, a good coach will help you figure out what’s standing in the way of you being able to move forward and a lot of times those ARE things from your past.

A good coach can help you work through some of those things but depending on the severity of what shows up a counselor or therapist may be a better fit for you.

Readiness

Are you really ready to do the work?

Coaching requires intentional work. You will be challenged and held accountable to make the changes you say you want to make. A good coach will have a high BS monitor and will call you out when you start making excuses.

Coaching will also require you to ask yourself some hard questions. A fair amount of internal work will be required of you regardless of the type of coaching you do. Gauging your willingness to go where the answers to those questions take you is an important part of your decision making process.

It may be difficult to go there but you have to decide which is more painful, staying where you are or taking the risk to discover where you could go?

The Right Fit

There are a wide variety of coaches out there – lifestyle, health and nutrition, fitness, executive, leadership, financial – the list is pretty long of the options available to you. Knowing what you want to accomplish is your first step to finding the right fit.

Once you’re clear there, you then have to decide what style of coaching you think will work best for you. Some coaches are very aggressive and somewhat pushy, while others are more heart-centered. It’s for this reason I strongly recommend having a discovery call with anyone you may potentially hire as a coach.

I personally don’t do well with hard sells for anything, whether I’m buying a car or hiring a coach. Whenever I’ve talked with someone who tried a hard sell approach, I knew right away that person wasn’t a good fit for me.

However, when I have found the right person, I’ve always known it in my gut and when my instinct says yes, I’ve learned to listen to that yes.

If you talk with someone and you instinctively know you connect with that person then follow that yes and make the investment.

I obviously believe in the power of coaching and the profound impact it can have on your life. With the right support, you can get where you want to be. If you’re ready then go ahead and take the leap and hire a coach. I promise you won’t regret it.

Here’s to you rising into your greatness!

If you’re ready for change and want to explore if you and I are a good fit, click here to schedule a complimentary discovery call today.