FEEL MORE IN CONTROL

Many people have no idea how they can benefit from having a Life Coach. It is a rather new profession and for many, it's unfamiliar territory. Here is an e-mail I received from a client after a few months of coaching sessions. She had given me permission to use it here, hoping you will be inspired by it! Please leave a comment after you've read it - she'd appreciate that.

Dear Betty,
In coaching you taught me about ways to keep a dream active and alive, such as making a dream board and keeping it visible. Also, by learning how to turn the dream into a goal, plus already seeing the progress, it is inspiring enough to keep the motivation in forward gear.

Putting a time-line in motion is liberating.

Through this process, my  husband, too, is learning and we both have been able to appreciate and be more at peace with our lives. Before the dream taking on a life of its own, daily life seemed to be in a whirl-wind of confusing limbo. In other words...out of control. I guess what I am saying is that after all of the coaching I've had with you, I finally realized that being more in control is not at all a life of being bound and restrictive. I now see that taking charge and being more in control is actually giving me a more liberated feeling. I know, at first it seems a contradiction in terms, but it is really quite the opposite, as I've just recently learned. Planning and order result in a life of freedom for the soul because of the peaceful feeling it evokes, not to mention a clearer picture or path. A clearer path in life is so much more relaxed. A crowded and windy path has all sorts of unforeseen twists and turns which don't provide enough time to adjust before the next jog in the road. Relaxing on a windy path is the last thing on one's mind, or in one's life, when each new jog creates nervous anticipation.

The life of a free-spirit is not at all about complacency as I thought.
I've learned my anxiety has come from too many unknowns....not having enough control.
I've learned a better balance in life.
I've learned how to recognize and implement the balancing tools of life.
I've learned how to find and use my own skills and tools......that were right there all along ....almost obvious.....but somehow obscured.

I feel that the job of a Life Coach is to hand out the right key to unlock each new door of peace/freedom/potential/life. Betty, as I write this from the heart, I have realized just how much I have learned and just how far I have come.

Looking back to the beginning and reviewing where I was, is even more motivating. Your life coaching sessions have taught me the tools necessary to balance life, goals and dreams. Teaching me how to begin working on the path towards our 'boat-life' was the catalyst point for developing skills in many other areas of my life. It is definitely about balance...for one thing affects another.....and another...and another....that’s for certain, which makes that another benefit of having a Life Coach. I've learned to appreciate even more, the 'simple pleasures' in life because they are part of the scenery along that nice clear path. The 'simple pleasures' aren't lost among the overgrowth or hairpin turns.

Thank-you Betty....truly....life-coach/friend....such a blessing....

Roni

I Have a Plan!

At the end of every coaching session I ask the client what value they created for themselves. Do you know what the most common answer is? "Now I have a plan." "Now I know what to do first."

We all know the saying "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." Have you ever thought of how true that is? Just take a minute to think about it. In order to achieve your goals, you need a plan. When you go on a trip, you have a plan of how to get to your destination. But how many of us actually go through life without a plan?

Think about your dreams and aspirations. How many of them have you accomplished? We don't accomplish them because we don't have a plan to do so. When we are faced with a problem, how do we solve the problem? Without a plan to actually solve it, we just focus on the problem. We have to focus on the solution and in order to do that, it involves making a plan.

Here's an action step for you for today or this week. Think about a challenge you're facing or a dream or project you'd like to pursue. Don't focus on the issue itself, but start thinking of a way to meet the challenge and solve the problem. Decide what you're going to do first! A journey begins with the first step. Even if you aren't sure what the second step will be, you can still start with the first one. Go for it!

If your challenge or goal is huge, you might need some help sorting out your thoughts. Talking to a friend might help. You may even need a coach - if that's the case, let me know :)

Please leave a comment and let us know how making a plan is helping you.

Vision versus Fear

Vision trumps fear. That's what I read on a Facebook status this morning. The person who posted it was my instructor when I took coach training. She was partly responsible for helping me to understand how important it is to understand why we do something. The Bible says that without vision, people perish. I think I finally understand that.

We need to have a purpose in this life. We all know that material things do not satisfy. But many are still collecting 'things', looking for fulfillment. It just doesn't cut it.

When we have a purpose - a vision - bigger than ourselves, it takes the focus off what we want and what will make us happy and redirects it to others. A great example of this is Mother Theresa. Did she ever think of herself? Imagine her vision.

Anyone who is truly fulfilled in his/her life has a vision. When you have a vision, it's important to know why that vision is important. What value is there in following your vision? When you know that, it will keep you focused and grounded. When you have moments of doubt, remembering why you are following your vision gets you back on track.

What is YOUR vision? Sharing your vision will inspire and encourage others.