Coaching
I’ve been thinking about the concept of coaching lately. As children our parents are often our coach. Teaching us, encouraging us to learn and do better. We go to school and our teachers coach us. Teaching us, encouraging us to learn and do better. If we learn an instrument, take dancing lessons and/or play sport, we have teachers/coaches that do the same thing.
What happens when we reach adulthood? Perhaps we do some tertiary study for a while and that extends us. We might have a job which offers a certain amount of training. If we’re lucky, perhaps we have a boss that encourages us to “better ourselves” (although good bosses can be few and far between). If we continue with sport, we might have a coach that teaches us and encourages us to do better.
But for the most part, as adults, we have a lot less training and encouragement than we may have had as children.
I guess this is a topic that has been on my mind a little in recent times. My personal trainer is basically a fitness coach. Each week she teaches me new exercises and ways that I can extend the ability of my body. Her encouragement inspires me to go that bit further than I would on my own.
My netball coach has been doing the same. Teaching me new skills. Giving encouragement and inspiring me to do better.
And I like it.
I feel that there is something within us as humans that really WANTS to do better. WANTS more.
But on our own, do we really strive the same as we might if we had a coach? Someone to talk things through with, flesh things out. Someone who might have the right questions to steer us in the direction we really want to go? Someone to encourage us and keep us accountable.
Now I’d never really heard of lifestyle coaching until recently when an article on Australian Women Online caught my eye. I’m not sure now what part of the idea appealed to me.
Weight Loss Coaching?
I could do with some of that.
Perhaps it was the first line that stood out to me:
ShapeShifters supports and guides you to achieve your ideal weight, health and lifestyle goals.
Perhaps it was the word “FREE” in the title (cos who doesn’t like to get something for FREE???) 
Or this paragraph:
With their help you will create life balance, define your vision, set challenging and desirable goals and design an action plan for success. You will formulate strategies to overcome obstacles and have all the support you need to maintain your focus for the long term.
Perhaps something inside of me felt that this could be a good next step in my journey of self discovery. Of finding out who I am and who I want to be?
Whatever the reason, I shot off an email to danielle@healthyandhappy.com.au . The first question I asked proves I didn’t quite read all of the article correctly. Because I asked if she could accomodate people that live in the middle of nowhere like I do. Which she kindly responded “yes” to rather than saying “didn’t you read this line of the article?”
ShapeShifters coach worldwide.
Doh! (I only just realised that when I reread the article to write this post).
We set up a time for the first appointment and Danielle sent me some material to read through. I got cold feet (for a couple of reasons) and cancelled the appointment. Actually, I forgot to cancel the appointment. 
Danielle was lovely about it and offered to talk through my concerns if I wanted to.
One of those concerns was that I really lack direction in my life. So much so that I wasn’t sure I was even capable of meeting the expectations of life coaching.
Well, today I went through with the first introductory session. This is a great opportunity to find out more about the coaching process and get a feel for whether it’s something you’d like to continue with.
To be perfectly honest, I gained quite a LOT before the phone call even started. I was sent a couple of worksheets to work my way through and the questions on those highlighted some interesting things about myself.
You know how you have stuff floating around the subconscious but you never really sit down and examine it? It was sort of like that. A way of bringing that stuff to the front of your brain and being able to examine it and see a little of what it may mean for you (particularly in relation to life balance - something which is so important and yet seems difficult to achieve).
When I began our phone call session today, I really felt I was struggling to know what I wanted out of life. While I still have a way to go in this area, throughout the course of the coaching session, we discovered I have more direction (or ideas on direction) than I thought I had. That was actually quite an exciting discovery.
One of my fears was that a lifestyle coach might be a little pushy and bossy. Danielle wasn’t like this at all. She was great to talk to and asked some really good questions. I finished the session feeling positive and enthused.
Part of the process is setting some smallish goals to complete before the next session. One set of goals are completed over the first 1-2 days and the other set over the period of a week.
I’ve decided to commit myself to the next 4 weeks and see what happens. It should be lots of fun and quite interesting. Given I like to talk about what is going on in my life, you’re sure to hear more as I continue this process. 
In the meantime, you might be interested in checking out Danielle’s coaching options. The offer of a FREE first session is available to everyone so feel free to consider that option if you’d like to try this kind of coaching to find out what it’s like. Danielle is very approachable so feel free to email her if you have any questions.
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WOW - you are doing some great things for yourself at the moment. Keep it up and I look forward to hearing how it all goes and a bit of what you get out of it.
But on our own, do we really strive the same as we might if we had a coach?
Yes. If not more so.
Gemisht - I guess this is “my time now”. I don’t imagine it’ll continue at this pace forever but there’s a bit of catching up I need to do. I’m hoping this will help with my overall journey.
Stuffy - Have you actually put that to the test? I’m considered to be a very driven person (apparently you don’t push through 2 and a half years of post natal depression and drive yourself to zero emotional energy without being driven) but I can definitely see a difference. The kind of person who can push themselves without support, encouragement and accountability of some kind would have to be fairly rare.
I’m not saying that there are a lot of people like that - there aren’t. But some people have reserves of drive and determination that make having a coach irrelevant to them. It has a lot to do with really truly deeply believing in yourself and that you can accomplish whatever task you put yourself to. It is the getting to the stage of truly believing in yourself (which is something you can’t use a coach for either) that is the tricky part.
Great post about the free lifestyle and free weight loss coaching sessions, Lightening. Although I run a lot of promotions on Australian Women Online I so seldom receive feedback from those who take up these special offers. I will be interested to know how you are getting on, so please do keep us updated.
PS. Australian Women Online has just launched an online Forum for those who would like to interact with other women who share their goals and interests. The Forum also provides an opportunity for readers of Australian Women Online to ask questions and obtain further information about anything they’ve seen on the website. To register and start posting to the url http://forum.australianwomenonline.com/phpBB3/
PPS. Sorry about the shameless promotion, but I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to give our new Forum a plug.
I have always toyed with this idea but never really acted on it… Keep us posted on your experiences, it might push me to give it a try!
Great post (as per usual).
There are so many factors to look at when making lifestyle changes.
I often find that my friends and family are my mentors and coaches through life. Even my children teach me new lessons.
I’m looking forward to seeing how an objective outside influence helps you along because maybe that is what I am lacking in my mentors and coaches.
This is so interesting. When you think about it, the advantage of having coaches or teachers of any kind in our lives is that we get the benefit of someone else’s specialty subject, without having to do all the research they’ve done. It’s like having a team of experts working on Project Lightening. So glad you are having some “you time now”.
Stuffy - I wonder though if people driven like that have a good balance to their lives? Life Coaching isn’t only about goal setting but also about finding balance.
Deborah - Congratulations on the new forum and the plug is fine.
Talina - thanks for your interest. I will keep you posted on how it goes.
Marita - that’s true that they can be. Kids can teach us so much.
Hilary - that’s a great way of looking at it. It does seem like “project lightening” doesn’t it??? LOL.
Balance is somewhat relative - one person’s balance is another person’s imbalance…
But looked at another way - if you are “out of kilter” you can’t go on being successful at whatever you are doing indefinitely. If you are unbalanced, at some point the wheels will fall off and you’ll fall in a heap.
People can figure out how find their own balance and push themselves to their full potential without a life coach. But the first step in all of that is believing that they themselves can do those things (even with a life coach at some point you are going to be doing all of these things without guidance)
Sounds really interesting, I look forward to hearing how you get on.
I’m two days into my healthy eating plan, craving chocolate and coffee like you wouldn’t beleive! It’s not pretty to live with!
Thanks for the kind comments. As the coach you often wonder if you are making a difference, and that is a pretty difficult bunch of girls to coach. You are a breath of fresh air, and a delight to coach, maybe you can help with the teenage attitudes of the rest of the bunch!
Oooh, I’m so curious to see how this works for you! Do keep posting about it, please.
Sharon - I was going to suggest you can take your withdrawals out on the team on Thursday. LOL. But I think you tend to go quieter when you’re not feeling great, not louder. As for the teenage “bunch”. I guess either I’ll rub off on them or they’ll rub off on me.
LOL. Honestly, I really want to cry at the thought of not eating chocolate. You’re so brave!!!!!
Jenn - thanks. I will. I’m a bit “behind” in one of the tasks I’m supposed to be completing. Oops. Not such an auspicious start. Still, failure is the stepping stone to success right?