Frequently Asked Questions About Life Coaching
While walking the dogs a few days ago, I ran into a neighbor who was curious about our new business. This isn't unusual. One of the things that I love about living in Muncie is that we run into people we know nearly everywhere we go. Since we launched the business two weeks ago, almost everyone has questions about what we are doing and why. And that's pretty cool. Thank you.
But for those of you who don't get the pleasure of running into us regularly, here's a summary of the questions we've been getting about life coaching.
What is life coaching?
Coaching is gentle guidance for your personal and professional life which is accomplished through the practice of asking powerful questions. By reflecting on these questions and answering them for yourself, you will create clarity in your life.
In your first life coaching session, we will do an activity to identify your personal values. Naming your values and making decisions about your life aligned to them reduces the strain of trying to live up to other people's expectations and helps you set reasonable growth goals for yourself.
How is life coaching different from friendship?
A healthy friendship is a mutual exchange of support. Life coaching is focused on you, not on your coach, and it is always confidential. But like friendship, a healthy coaching relationship is only established through mutual trust and respect.
How is life coaching different from having a mentor?
Mentors are experts in a particular subject area and will give you advice according to their own expertise. Life coaches will talk you through how to identify and find a good mentor if that fits with your goals. But life coaches give advice sparingly. Instead a life coach will help you identify your own strengths and apply them to build a more fulfilling life.
How is life coaching different from psychotherapy?
Therapy is diagnostic and an effective treatment for mental illness. It focuses on uncovering past traumas and identifying their negative impact on your current thought processes. Life coaching tends to be present and future focused. For example, you may have noticed that your life is always busy and you feel overwhelmed. If you want to narrow down your commitments to focus on the things that are most important to you, life coaching is a great help. If you want to address the underlying anxiety that caused you to overcommit in the first place, therapy is your best bet. Great therapists will also provide some life coaching, typically by helping patients set goals. Great life coaches will ask questions about your thought processes and the history that informed them in order to understand the barriers that may get in the way of achieving your goals. A great coach will encourage you to seek therapy when you need it without shame or judgment. Therapy and life coaching are complementary practices.
How does life coaching fit with Two Birds’ other services? Let's start with HR Advice.
I worked in HR for over a decade. When discussing HR concerns, individuals frequently uncover larger concerns where life coaching would be beneficial. For example, some people may just need to discuss what kind of evidence you need to file an official complaint about misconduct. But some people may discover that they need to work on their conflict management skills overall. That's a great reason for life coaching.
What about Connect to Nature with Kim?
In our achievement driven culture, individuals have lost the ability to slow down and rest in the present moment. Without rest, we lose the patience, curiosity, and courage required to grow. Life coaching is all about growth. Kim brings an essential component to successful coaching: learning how to rest.
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Watch for our upcoming blog posts where we will dive more deeply into HR Advice and Connect with Nature!
Need help figuring out if life coaching is the right fit for you? Email us at info@2birdsllc.com and schedule a free 20 minute consult with us today!
