by Sarah Donnelly, Holistic Life and Wellness Coach
People decide to seek out a Life Coach for numerous reasons, and really, there is a LONG list. The main thing that these people have in common is that they want to change something in their lives. Most people are usually working towards achieving a goal but that is not always the case.
The International Coaching Federation has conducted numerous studies on the effects of Life Coaching and the reasons why people choose to go to Life Coaching in the first place.
The results of the data showed the following results for people who have used Life Coaching.
These results obviously show Life Coaching in a very positive light. However, many people who aren’t familiar with Life Coaching wonder why people choose to go to a coach in the first place. The following statistics were also part of the study conducted by ICF. People go to coaching for some of the reasons below:
Again, these are just a few examples but the list really goes on and on of the areas that coaching can help you in.
Still, some people attend coaching to achieve a goal that really is individual to them. These types of sessions, I must admit, are my favourite. The reason for this is that people who have a specific goal in mind are usually more determined at achieving their goals. It usually turns out that due to this determination, they do achieve their goal faster than someone who isn’t quite certain on what they want. Seeing a client empowered, exhilarated and ecstatic from achieving a goal they’ve worked hard at is the reason I work as a Life Coach. Seeing that people can come to coaching because they don’t have any particular goals but want to achieve clarity around what they want in life. As a result, working with these people enables them to figure out what they want and establish their own personal goals that we can then work towards.
People often ask me about the main reason people come to me for coaching. My answer is always the same. Work-Life balance. In a study conducted by the Economic and Social Research Institute in 2016 in Ireland, the findings showed that work-related stress, anxiety, and depression account for 18% of sick days. In my experience as a coach, people who are finding it difficult to achieve that work-life balance present as saying they suffer from a great deal of stress and anxiety. This obviously is not the case for everyone and each case is entirely different. As Life Coaching is not a form of therapy, if someone confides in me that they are suffering from stress or anxiety that is preventing them from attending work, I would recommend talking to their GP first. While coaching is an extremely beneficial tool to empower people to make the changes they need, to live their most healthy and fulfilling life, it is no replacement for therapy and a GP consultation when necessary.
Life coaching looks at all the areas in an individual’s life that are significant to them. When one area in their life isn’t as they want it to be, it can and usually does affect some of the other areas. Life coaching highlights this and encourages the individual to make the changes in their life so that they feel content and happy with all areas.While some people work exceptionally well with a Life Coach, others might not. Again, from experience, it’s what the individual is prepared to put into the coaching plan that will determine the outcome. The responsibility of the outcome lies entirely on the individual. Some people go to coaching and expect the coach to solve all their problems in one session. This is obviously unrealistic as 1: to fully work through changes in life, it generally happens over the course of a few weeks and sometimes months and 2: the coach is there to assist you to achieve your goals. The client is entirely accountable for achieving their goals.
So, while coaching makes you entirely accountable for what and when you achieve something, your coach will be there to support you through the entire process ensuring that the best possible outcome will come from your sessions together. That’s reason enough to have a session, don’t you think?
Life Coaching is a wonderful tool that is gaining due recognition across the globe. It is something that most people will benefit from and can really assist people to lead the lives they want to.
Right now, think of something that you want to achieve. Don’t just read this sentence, actually do it. Take a moment to think about this something and what it would feel and look like to achieve this goal. This is your ‘something’. This is your goal. Coaching could be the catalyst to help you achieve it.
About the author
Sarah works as a Holistic Life and Wellness Coach and Mindfulness Therapist both online and in Kildare. She is a co-founder of the wellness blog Mandala.ie and writes in the areas of life-coaching, well-ness, well-being, mindfulness and positive psychology. She is passionate about coaching, well-being and living a balanced, happy and positive life.