Life coaching can be defined in a number of ways, but its primary aim is to help an individual get from where he currently is in life to where he wants to be. This is usually achieved by the development of a one-on-one relationship between an individual and a life coach that focuses on the individual’s life goals.
By providing a supportive, non-judgmental, and completely personalized support structure, life coaching can allow a person to achieve far more than he ever would achieve by going it alone. Unlike counseling or therapy, however, which aims to help a person come to terms with past experiences, life coaching is very much about the future and how a person can reach his true potential.
Life coaches specialize in areas such as relationships and careers. They provide motivation and support when a person needs help in deciding which path to choose. Most life coaching clients are between 45 and 55 years of age and have reached a stage in life where they are at a crossroads and have become tired of making the same choices in life out of habit, fear, or insecurity.
Typically, life coaching sessions are held on a weekly basis over the telephone. As the relationship between the individual and his life coach is integral to the success of the coaching, it’s important that a person feels comfortable with his life coach’s communication style and is able to establish some sort of rapport with him or her.
During the weekly sessions, the life coach and individual will work together to understand what the individual considers to be important in life and to define a life plan with an emphasis on achievement. As well to learning skills such as how to handle stress and various other challenges in life, life coaching can help an individual to develop the ideas he’s been mulling over for decades to the point where he is able to turn his life around for the better.
Anyone considering hiring a life coach should ask if it’s possible to have a sample session before committing himself and use this session to see how the life coach addresses a real issue he wants dealt with. The highly personalized care that life coaches provide isn’t affordable by all: for a one-hour coaching session expect to pay from around $50 to $500. While some people may consider this a high price to pay, others see it as a small change for a service that can help them turn their long-held dreams into reality.