Ever remember feeling stuck and frustrated, wanting to make a change, but not sure what to do, then talking it out with a friend and suddenly getting clarity? Most of us can think of a teacher, friend or family member who — at some crucial moment — listened and provided guidance and insight that helped us to change life for the better.
Maybe you signed up for those computer classes that led to a more rewarding job or started working out and improved your health and appearance. Or maybe you moved to a new city or foreign country to pursue a dream.
If we could only count on that happening every time we’re faced with a career or personal crisis or want to make a major change. But such wise counsel and inspiration isn’t always available. We don’t always have an all-purpose mentor.
Our friends and family are often too emotionally involved in our lives to be objective, especially when we need to reinvent ourselves. And maybe they don’t have enough knowledge about career or lifestyle options to best advise us or suggest possible options.
A Life Coach Provides a Sounding Board
That’s where a life coach comes in. These counselors, who have become ever more popular in the past few decades, provide a sounding board and a springboard to transformation. During these lingering, troubled economic times, many of us are in need of such counsel.
“Sometimes it takes be knocked down by a layoff or business setback to make you stop and re-evaluate your life. The current economy is giving people the opportunity to rethink their dreams and do something to bring new meaning to their lives,” says Lana Staheli, Ph.D., the nationally known life strategies coach and author of Bounce Be Transformed. One of Staheli's clients, for example, switched from a high-pressure career as a corporate executive to working for a nonprofit organization in Africa.
A life coach can inspire you to employ various techniques, including meditation, proper nutrition, and exercise, to bring your life into balance and thus promote a clear mind. "In a tough economy people often neglect their basic needs, which makes it more difficult for them to devise creative solutions to their problems," she says. "Take time every day to renew and replenish yourself. The time invested will more than be made up in increased productivity and insight."
Choosing the Right Life Coach for You
Since life coaching is a relatively new field, no license or certification is legally required. Several national associations offer certification. While some life coaches formerly worked in mental health fields others may formerly have been social workers, career counselors or attorneys.
"It's important to find out about the life experience of your life coach to see whether they are suited to helping you get to where you want to go. For example if you want to get insights into how to have a better marriage, listening to advice from a life coach who has been divorced four times may not be the best idea," says Seattle-based Staheli, who formerly was a mental health counselor.
All this sounds great. But what if you can’t afford to hire a life coach at the present moment? Staheli designed Bounce Be Transformed as a personal growth workbook for individuals and groups. She has inspired a number of "bounce circles."
"We all flourish with validation, support and honest feedback. If you don’t already have a circle of friends to provide that, seek one out and create you own bounce circle,” Staheli says.
For more information on life coaching, visit Staheli's website.
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