Life Coach, Another Trend?
Author: Devlyn Steele

"Go-Go-Go" Is life coaching another American New Age fad,
delivering yet another empty promise of helping us live better
lives?

Whether we want to lose weight, get a new job, succeed in
business, more education, relationship help, financial relief,
smoking, drugs or alcohol cessation, help with depression,
overall happiness and countless others, everyone has changes
we'd like to see made in our lives.

We are forever setting goals and hoping for changes. New Years
is a famous time, but rarely do we find success. Certain
seasons and events in our lives push our buttons and we try
over and over but rigid patterns of behavior prevent us from
making the changes we want.

To make sweeping changes in our lives is difficult and we tend
to feel stuck and helpless when we fail to do so. We often
blame ourselves and become resigned to the idea that we are who
we are and that change is impossible, repeating our patterns in
an endless cycle of frustration. As Freud put it, "We tend to
recreate in our lives that which we have not worked through."

There are many professional approaches to assist in learning
about ourselves and changing our patterns of behavior. Some
approaches are better than others and sometimes one approach
can have amazing effects on one individual and yield less than
satisfactory results with another.

Life coaching is a relatively new approach to improving one's
overall condition and as such, some may feel unsure about its
robustness. But consider that much of what is mainstream today
was once viewed as new and cutting edge, even controversial is
some cases, such as the notion of a round earth. People once
held the strong conviction that the earth was flat until it was
proved otherwise. Life coaching is becoming more mainstream
because it is proactive and delivers positive results.

As its popularity grows, more people are starting to ask, "What
is life coaching?" Think of life coaching as much like coaching
sports. In sports the goals are clear and the techniques to
accomplish them are learned by those playing them. Coaches
review these techniques with players, making sure they practice
the right steps to accomplish the desired results. During a
game, a coach is watching to see if the proper techniques are
applied, pushing and motivating the players to perform them.

Certain goals may seem too ambitious to confront or even know
where to begin. As daunting as these goals may be, specific
methods do exist to accomplish them. A qualified life coach can
break down your goals so that you know where to start and what
specific steps to take to ultimately accomplish them. However,
just knowing what to do is often not enough because we get in
our own way. We tell ourselves that we lack the time or the
money; we'll get to it later; we'll start tomorrow; this one
time is ok; I'll have a last piece of cake, cigarette or drink;
or it's not my fault I don't feel good. These fixed ideas are
what prevent us from the changes we want.

Once goals are broken down into manageable steps, a life coach
will be there to assess progress and motivate the individual
toward consistent behavior patterns that produce results. Not
only will permanent successful routines be established, but
they will bring about new actions that achieve even higher
levels of success. There won't be any cheerleaders there to
shout as you score, but you will certainly be smiling all the
same as you are finally making the changes you want and
enjoying new winning patterns and results in your life.

But don't get too excited yet. Simply dialing your local life
coach won't guarantee success. As with all professions, there
are varying degrees of expertise and ability. Life coaching
also lacks conformity to a universal approach; however, as the
practice continues to take hold, a standard methodology will
become more defined.

To insure that you will obtain the results you want, find out
if anyone you know has used a life coach before deciding on
one. If not, ask the perspective coach for references and a
clear picture of their overall approach. Also make sure you are
comfortable with the person.

If you are ready to get into action and start living your life
with new results, look into finding a qualified life coach and
remember that we each do have the ability to change and create
the lives we want.


About The Author: About Tools To Life Developed by Life Coach
Devlyn Steele, Tools To Life is a revolution in self-
development, a 77-day program in which thousands have
implemented successful changes in their lives. Devlyn Steele is
a public consultant, a private counselor, a radio host and an
author. visit: http://www.lifecoachadvice.com/