Be Your Own Life Coach in 3 Simple Steps

 The undeniable reality of life is that things get complicated once in a while. Whether it’s family, work, personal relationships, or how we feel about ourselves, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. When things get tough, many people find that hiring a life coach is an effective solution.

     These professionals can be hired to step in when it feels like circumstances might have the power to keep us from getting where we want to be. A life coach is trained to be able to help their clients in many ways. It might be setting personal goals and identifying emotional triggers, or adjusting behavioral patterns and identifying new interests. Ultimately, a life coach is meant to help you reach your full potential in a complicated world.

     While a life coach can be extremely helpful, taking a DIY approach to life coaching is also a viable option!  Give the following 3 simple steps a try when you want to reap the benefits of life coaching without having to hire anyone.

1.Take Time to Define Your Goals

The desire to move forward and improve is a part of being human. From career goals to relationship goals, it’s natural to want to make noticeable progress in our lives. The biggest obstacle to that progress tends to be a lack of time set aside to define what those goals might be in the first place.  

When you hire a life coach, the expectation is that they’ll take time to get to know you to the point of being able to help you identify your own short and long-term goals. From here, you begin to build a plan of action together. When you choose to be your own life coach, there’s no need to dig for those goals. You already know what you like, don’t like, and care about. It’s simply a matter of giving yourself the gift of time to sit down and evaluate those prospects uninterrupted.

Defining reachable goals for yourself doesn’t have to be complex. It should just be specific and manageable! Consider one thing you can do daily that would help you get where you want to be. Then, contemplate one long-term goal you can set for yourself. The final step is to write them down. The act of putting those goals on paper doesn’t mean they’ll magically happen. However, it’s a smart way to keep your goals clear and tangible each day.  Feel free to put that piece of paper up somewhere you can see it every morning. This can motivate you to start creating a plan of action toward reaching those goals moving forward.

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2. Make Personal Interests a Priority

Another big reason people hire a life coach is to have someone in their lives that will hold them to a higher standard. It can be motivating to be connected to a professional who wants you to be your best self.

Oftentimes, a life coach will ask their clients to take time to focus on a personal interest as a route to foster happiness. Making time to focus on passion projects and hobbies is also an effective way to strengthen your sense of self and well-being. The good news is that making personal interests a priority is something you can do on your own if you aren’t in a place to hire a professional.

When life gets busy, we tend to drop our own interests from the equation first to focus on the fundamentals of survival. While work is certainly important, it’s equally vital to recognize that our passions and interests are in place for a reason and deserve our time as well.

Start by setting aside just 30 minutes a week to do something fun purely for the joy of it. It’s an act of self-care that can provide huge benefits to the way you feel daily. Fostering that focus on an activity you enjoy gives you something to look forward to. A renewed sense of positivity is one you can carry with you into other areas of daily life, too.

3. Check in With Yourself Regularly

An effective life coach will check in on their clients regularly to monitor progress. That’s something that you can and should do as your own life coach as well!

There’s a tendency to let busy schedules keep us from stepping back and really evaluating how we’re handling life’s challenges. However, it’s important to set aside a specific time each day or week to consider how you’re feeling, where you’re at with your goals, and what you want to continue to work on. When you do this, you’re giving yourself the gift of honesty and transparency in the same way a professional would.

Make sure to remember when you do this that a life coach would give you grace when you fall short, and you should do the same for yourself. It’s ok to fall behind in your progress plans. Recognizing those pitfalls is how you get back on track!

Similarly, be sure to reward yourself in some way when you realize you’ve reached a goal. Even something as small as buying yourself a favorite coffee can make those self-check-ins and successes that much sweeter.

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Enjoy the Journey as Your Own Life Coach

     Hiring a life coach can be highly effective when it comes to reaching your full potential. However, trying some of these techniques first might be just as rewarding! Give them a try and see if you come closer to reaching those goals you’ve set for yourself.

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