10 Reasons for Having a Coach in your Life
A coach used to mean a bus that would take you from A to B, then in the 1800's Oxford University made the phrase its own by using the colloquialism as a title for their lecturers who carried their students through exams. According to Wikipedia (the source of all that is true, or not as the case may be), the phrase was transported onto the sports field in 1831.
Today a great coach still means someone or something that transports you to a different place or level, but it also means so much more. Here are our top ten reasons for you to have a coach in your life.
1. Improve self confidence
No matter how self-confident and assured you are, there is always a little voice that tells you that you can’t or shouldn’t do something. Sometimes it’s right, but most times that voice needs to be silenced. That’s where your coach comes in: it’s always easier to listen to other people and believe them when they’re in your corner and backing you 100%. Trust us, we are professionals.
2. Better relationships
Relationships are all around us: personal, family, friends, partners, work colleagues and it pays to work on them. The quality of these relationships can have a huge impact on how you feel, interact and behave on a day to day basis. Let’s face it: we’ve all, at some point, had an argument with our significant other or a close friend and it can affect us for hours, if not days, and this is reflected in every other part of our lives whether it be a bad mood, feeling down, poor work performance or something that we just ‘can’t put our finger on’. The quality of our relationships plays a bigger role than you would think in every aspect of our lives.
3. Accountability
It’s easy to say that you’ll do something. Think about it: how many New Year’s resolutions have you made…and then dropped after the first couple of days or weeks? How many diets have you started but never quiet achieved your goal? How many times have you been meaning to clean out your wardrobe and get yourself organised? When people think of being ‘held to account’ most of us think of tough, authoritarian figures who stand over us cracking a whip and looking all serious. That’s completely untrue says Professional Coach, Suzie Whitfield, “Accountability is all about giving someone the tools and support to help break the cycle. As coaches, it’s our job to help get you out of the rut and onto the right path, and if we can do that whilst having a little bit of fun at the same time, then more’s the better”.
4. Achieve goals quicker
There’s nothing more off putting or frustrating than s l o w ‘progress’ – or no progress. “Results breed motivation and motivation helps us to achieve our goals more quickly” says Karen Davies, motivational speaker and coach. There’s nothing wrong with taking the ‘long way round’ but if you have a lot that you want to achieve, or even one huge goal that you are aiming for. Then a concerted effort can definitely speed up the process.
5. Discover new ideas within you
Everyone has ideas that are waiting to get out. They just need some gentle encouragement and cultivation. A good coach will be able to help you bring those ideas to the surface. You would be surprised at how many you may have and how impressive they are.
6. Find your purpose
Many people mistakenly believe that you need to know exactly what your purpose is and what your goals, aims, wishes and dreams are before you see a coach. Wrong. A coach is exactly the person you should be seeking out: trust them, they’ve been there. A coach can help you to hone your hopes, thoughts, ideas and dreams and shape them into a purpose that’s suited to your values and ideologies.
7. Improve working performance
Whether you truly believe you are give of your best, or you know, deep down, that you could do better, a coach can help you to improve. Maybe they can work with you to find a way to tweak your routine or streamline your work cycles. There is always room for improvements. It’s just a case of looking at the status quo and working together to gain some perspective and approach things from a different angle.
8. Hold your hand whilst taking that first difficult step towards change
Unless you’re one of the unique 5% of people who love and embrace change, then you’ll probably have an aversion to anything new and unknown. Don’t worry, this is natural and coaches deal with it all of the time. They are able to help and support you and reassure you.
9. Enhance your own skills
Each and every single person is different; we all have unique skills, talents, hobbies and dreams. The trick is to play to those strengths and not dwell on, or try to ‘fix’ something that you or others perceive to be ‘broken.’ Look forward and reflect on what you can learn.
10. Help you to make things happen
Plotting, planning and day dreaming is great, but what many people struggle with is action.
A coach is someone who can help you to make things happen and strive towards your goals with clear plans and action points. It can be as formal or informal as you like; remember they play to your strengths.
For more information about how to find a coach, head to our contact page and get in touch.