'Create
a Life You Love' Newsletter
| ISSUE #19: 'What Coaching REALLY Is...'
'Life coaching tips on having MORE in your life. More fun, more love, more peace, more excitement.' David Wood, PCC |
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Contents
1. Announcements/Offers
2. 'What Coaching REALLY Is...' (FEATURE)
3. The Personal Touch
4. About the 'Create a Life You Love' Newsletter
1. Announcements/Offers
What People are Saying About 'First Fifty Clients'?
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How Did A Former Helicopter Rescue Nurse Get 17 Life Coaching Clients in Just 3 Months? Find out at: |
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"David's strategies helped me get my coaching business
up and running with 17 clients after just three months! And I couldn't
believe I had $3,000 a month coming in just from helping people with their
lives!"
Estelle Gibbins, Brisbane, Australia
"I have applied the information, with terrific results.
I started last Monday, making a deal with myself to have a new client
each day. So far, that has occurred - and I have ten new clients!"
Julie Gleeson, USA
The Art of Living
Visit http://www.FirstFiftyClients.com
2. FEATURE: What Coaching REALLY Is...
Today I called a woman back who had inquired about coaching and she said: "Thanks for calling me back so quickly. It helps to keep the momentum going". And what coaching REALLY is became crystal clear!
Impulses for Change
From time to time, we get impulses for change. It might be because we get inspired. We might see someone else with what we want. A new possibility might occur to you. A flash of insight? A friend or colleague challenges you. Most often it's because something has gotten worse than we're willing to tolerate, and we say: "I've had enough!"
Whatever the reason, this impulse for change comes along at certain intervals in our life. However, we all know the impulse rarely lasts. Last week I had an impulse to exercise (again). However, it's not particularly consistent, and doesn't always come at times when it's convenient for me to exercise.
You may have thought: "You know - my relationship really could be better. Surely this isn't as good as it gets?" And the next day the impulse is gone. Or "What would it take to double my profits? I'm really going to make some changes in this business when I get less busy". A few days later your focus is on something else.
OR, are you the kind of person who takes on new projects with gusto, to find out that a few weeks or months later it feels old hat, and you follow a familiar pattern of switching to something else?
So IMPULSES FOR CHANGE DO NOT LAST. This is why we human beings do not make so many of the changes that are possible in our lives.
Without coaching - without a STRUCTURE - our natural tendency is to keep our patterns. Go to work. Make money. Keep the same relationships. Keep the same barriers. Want the same things to change. But don't change them. Feel an impulse for change - lose the impulse for change. Staying the same is the natural outcome.
But Do We Need to Change?
No. But wouldn't it be wise? These impulses for change are the signals telling you what is next for you in life. They are your intuition letting you know that you are missing opportunities. They are messages (sometimes subtle) about what you would ~really~ like to do in your life, what your business needs, the perfect job, who you should be with right now.
If I may get a little deep for just a moment - they are not only the signals that will help us achieve the goals we are striving for, but the signals that are telling us how to evolve as people. If we ignore these impulses, we'll feel restless at a very deep level - knowing something is wrong, but not sure what. Not understanding this restlessness, we must seek ways to quieten it - TV, movies, alcohol, smoking, over-reading etc.
OK - I'm getting a little off track but I think you get my point. It's important that these impulses do not get left by the way side. You want the secret to achieving your goals and having an amazing life?
FIND A WAY TO HARNESS THESE IMPULSES.
The Coaching Structure
At it's simplest, coaching may be described as a structure. Coaching harnesses the energy for change; those impulses that last from a moment to a few weeks. If you feel an impulse to exercise more you may exercise once - until the next impulse. But if you join a gym for a year and hire a personal trainer, you ~will~ be fit! In fact it would be very hard to avoid it having set up this structure.
Coaching is a similar structure, for any goal that's important to you. You make a commitment to your goals, and to working for a certain time frame with a coach. This is often 3 months or 6 months, usually with one or more review points to assess progress. Normally once a week you have a conversation with your coach, and you commit to specific actions to move you forward. Within a coaching structure, your natural tendency is to pursue your goals and achieve them. It's ~hard~, in fact very hard to keep your patterns and your life the same when you focus so much consistent attention on what you really want, and make promises to a third party.
With a coach, the man who feels an impulse to change careers isn't still thinking about it in three months time. He's hired a coach, he's found a new career possibility which inspires him, he's got a new resume and ten interviews lined up.
With a coach, the woman who wants to organise her business so that she has time for herself isn't still complaining about it in six months time. She's hired a coach, created an empowering time allocation, set her boundaries, hired an assistant, looks obviously happier and is therefore attracting more clients.
So here's the key: Without a coach, the path of least resistance is to keep your life the same. Impulses for change often do not last long enough to act upon.
With a coach, the path of least resistance is to achieve your goals! Impulses for change are converted to momentum.
Summary
So would coaching be a smart investment for you right now? Are you the kind of person who could benefit?
You decide. I say it's for people who recognize that coaching is a powerful structure for harnessing your energy for change, and to help you move forward.
If you're content for the next five years to be similar to the last five years, then you don't need any input or help from anyone. However, aren't you curious to know what your life could be like in five years time if you harnessed your impulses for change, carried them through, and had fun while doing it?
Enjoy,
3. The Personal Touch
Each day is exciting! I've written another 10,000 words of my relationship book, and have found a great editor. I'm now in the process of setting up online payments to sell products via the web.
The first one to go online will be a recording of my speech at the Australasian coaching conference (which by the way was great!) on Getting the First 50 Clients. And I've been thinking about a big re-branding.
Yesterday I crashed in my hang glider, which has slowed me down a little and reminded me I am mortal - but no major damage.
Looking forward to HAI Level II (www.hai.org) this weekend - Stay tuned for some major growth and learning.
-David
4. About the 'Create a Life You Love' Newsletter
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David Wood is a personal and business coach, and a founder of the International Coach Academy - a global company training coaches in nine countries. He is a Professional Certified Coach with the International Coach Federation (ICF) based in Washington, D.C.
David has coached people in 13 countries via telephone and email. He helps people tap into their passion and adventure, and get into action! He works with professionals on career direction and personal issues, with small business owners, and managers/executives. He also helps coaches start or accelerate their coaching practice via the CoachStart™ Program at http://www.CoachStart.com/Mentor.htm