You are searching for a life coach. What can a life coach offer you?
Maybe you are going through a huge life transition like divorce, or children leaving home and want help to start a new chapter that will allow you thrive and begin again.
Maybe you are starting out in life and realize you don’t know what you really want. You are looking for clarity. You don’t want to just do what is expected of you, you want to follow a dream.
Or maybe you are now at a stage where your life is full with many of things you wanted so much. You know you are fortunate, but life isn’t working. You are feeling lethargic and overwhelmed. You crave less stress and more well-being.
Or perhaps you are clear about what you want in life, but you are frustrated that you keep not moving forward. You need help getting unstuck.
I understand how painful and disempowering it can feel to see one’s self continue to not take positive steps forward. It can be hugely dispiriting.
I help clients overcome the resistance and obstacles that keep us from moving forward. We work together to re-engage with the part of you that still has some fight and willingness.
DETERMINING THE PATH FORWARD
I believe we each have an internal compass or guidance system that we can follow by noticing our “gut feelings.” You know some choices can just feel right? And how you might have a bad gut feeling about another person or choice? Some people get a queasy feeling in their abdomen if something doesn’t feel right. Or another person might feel the body signal of stress and tightness in his or her chest.
You have probably found that when you repeatedly ignore gut feelings, you can end up making choices that you later regret.
Maybe you go to a doctor who two people you respect have recommended. You meet her and see that she seems distracted, not really listening. As the appointment goes on, you aren’t really liking her. When you think about trusting her with your health, your gut or chest feels shaky or tight.
“But Fred and Shirley recommended her,” you say to yourself. They must know better. I will just trust them and stay the course.
You override the funny feeling you have about her.
Two months later it becomes so clear that this doctor isn’t the one. You start to do some of your own research and find another doctor. At the first appointment, you immediately like her. She seems to really care and clearly has a much broader knowledge base about your health challenge. You feel a relaxed feeling in your chest or gut. Your body and discerning brain say “Yes.” It is a right fit. You decide to trust yourself.
YOU TRULY CAN MAKE CHANGE HAPPEN
I work together with clients to help them create lives that reflect what they most value, love, and enjoy.
“Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.” – Jalaluddin Rumi
I help people listen to and follow their intuition and get honest with themselves about what is and what is not working. We look together as a team at your life’s “have-to’s” and “shoulds” and look for the “choose-to’s” and “I can’s.”
Francesca loves her 84-year old parents and is committed to making sure they are well-cared for. Her mom calls multiple times a day, and will show up at the house unannounced. Francesca finds herself dreading seeing mom, feeling drained and highly irritable with her husband and kids.
There are “should’s”; and then there is the truth of what works. Yes, you want to honor your parents. And it is also true that you want to take care of your health, feel better, and be a kinder more patient wife and mom.
Perhaps a request that Mom always plan visits with you ahead of time is all that is needed. Or maybe you need to ask your sister and brother to step in. Or maybe you go ahead and place a limit with Mom that might disappoint her. Making sure parents are well-cared for doesn’t mean making sure they never are upset.
I help people find out what is actually needed now in order to have a life that works. I don’t have that answer. I help clients see their options and find that answer themselves
Sometimes I help clients take big leaps of change. And other times course corrections don’t need to be huge. We find the small steps that you feel are doable that start to change the direction of your life one degree at a time. When you have been stuck for a long time, small steps can be huge.
GETTING POWER OVER OUR NEGATIVE THOUGHTS
Part of life coaching is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). CBT helps us step back and see clearly which of our thoughts or beliefs are true and which are limiting beliefs from the past that actually aren’t true and accurate now. These beliefs hold us back. I help people expose the lies in their thinking.
We all have repetitive thoughts that keep cycling through.
“ I can’t have what I want.”
“ I’m too flawed. “
“Because I did (or didn’t) do ____________, I am screwed.”
“Because I married the wrong partner, I wasted so many years and am now doomed.”
“Things don’t work out for me.”
These limiting beliefs assume that nothing in life ever improves – the future will for sure be identical to the past. They assume that we have to make perfect choices in order to be OK. Can we be 100% sure that we have to be perfectly fabulous in order to have fabulous experiences?
Limiting beliefs are pretty arrogant by nature. They assume that you are all-knowing – you know for sure that your life is broken. You know what you need in order to have a sense of well-being. You don’t have it and aren’t capable of getting it, so there is no hope. These thoughts can be bullies.
I help clients take back their power from these extremely painful beliefs. They can rob of us of a sense of well-being and keep us frozen and unable to move forward. These beliefs can be so seductive, convincing us that we can’t have what we want in life.
“Is something wrong with me for needing life coaching help?”
People are pack animals. We have always lived in groups, needing each other. Does seeing a coach or counselor mean you are crazy or weak? Nope – it just means you are human, and humans have struggles. It is pretty sane to seek help rather than keep walking the same unsatisfying path.
You might have some questions about life coaching or feel like you want to take a next step….
If it feel s like a good next step, I would love to speak with you either on the phone or at my office for a free 30 minute consultation. You will then have more of a sense of who I am and whether working with me feels like a right fit. I will be happy to contact you if you click here or you can call or text me at (303) 819-2099.
Very best wishes,
Judy