Here’s a snippet from a FORBES MAGAZINE ARTICLE:

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I hear all the time from people who are curious about my experience and want to know if they should hire a life coach. How do you know if it’s time to hire a life coach? How do you trust it will benefit you when we live and work in an incredibly saturated market?

1. Your confidence is not where you want it to be. Everyone is wearing their battle scars, and the difference between those who are happy and sad are the ones who have learned to let pain go. I can’t tell you how many clients hold onto their pain, much like holding a beach ball under the ocean… Exhausting. They can push it down, but grief, trauma or sadness have their ways of creeping up on you, and that means truly facing your battle wounds with the support of a personal development professional. As a coach, I’ve learned first hand that the only way out of pain is through it. A talented professional coach will know how to guide you through your pain and memories in a way that helps you heal and let go.

2. You lack a clear vision… Or your vision is so big you’re overwhelmed. When I hired my first coach, I had some general ideas on what I wanted—to start a business, to help people, to be more authentic in my career— but I wasn’t clear on the specifics, nor did I know how to get there. I was done with the corporate world and clueless on how to make an empowered and strategic exit. Thanks to my coach, I discovered my calling and built a multi 6- figure career coaching company in two years time.

3. Your patterns are not supporting your goals. You are clear about where you want to be, but you continue to make self-destructive decisions that keep you tied to your bad habits. You lack the true commitment to really making your dreams a reality and you don’t know how to get on the right track. I have plenty of clients who come to me feeling overwhelmed. Overwhelm is a pattern and coping mechanism, so I start with mindset. In the words of John Assaraf, “When you’re interested, you do what’s convenient; when you’re committed, you do whatever it takes.” A good coach will help you clear blocks and reach levels of personal commitment and growth you’ve never accessed within yourself.

4. You’re irritable. Are you often in a state of reaction? This can manifest in a number of ways. Perhaps you have frequent road rage, or you turn into a light version of Sybil from The Exorcist when you’re fighting with your boyfriend. Deep down you’re wondering: Why do I fight so hard? And you often find yourself feeling guilty for the way you react.

5. You’re in a huge transition. Whether you’re looking to make a huge career change, or you’re facing a significant life transition, it’s no secret you’ll burn your friends and family out if you treat them like therapists. Transitions bring up stress, anxiety, and uncertainty, all of which have the tendency to set us on edge and make us feel as though we need to talk things through…over and over again. Drum roll, please: enter a life coach. This is a great time to seek out the support you need to seamlessly and effectively transition into your next steps of life with positivity.

6. You’re craving more purpose. You may be having huge success in your career, yet you still feel unfulfilled.I came into my coach’s office years ago without a sense of self, and I left in a career – a coaching practice for millennials— that really speaks to who I am.

So, you’re probably thinking, why not hire a shrink? Good question. The key difference between coaches and psychologists is that psychologists focus on looking back to heal, while coaches focus on the future with the strategy of positive psychology. While we may use therapy tools, our intention is always to mirror a mindset shift with an external goal in the world. It’s not just about healing; it’s about positively creating.

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By Healing Coach Mary Allen (view full article here)

“The Top 14 Reasons to Hire a Professional Life Coach”could be called, “Top 14 Life Altering Benefits You’ll Receive by Hiring a Professional Life Coach.” As you read each reason, try on each one fully, as though you’ve already achieved the benefit. Ask yourself, “Is this something I want more of in my life?”

1. Design your life to maximize FULFILLMENT

Isn’t being fulfilled what life is all about? In whatever we are doing in life – work, play, relationships, fun, chores, travel – I believe in maximizing “fulfillment”. As a coach, I put “fulfillment” on the top of the list (you’ll notice this theme throughout my website) “People are gravitating to coaching more and more to truly create that ‘soulfully fulfilling life’ they’ve always dreamed of. And, fulfillment is one of the most rewarding…” However, it is one of the most rewarding by-products of outstanding coaching and your commitment to the process. As you create a more fulfilling life you will experience the following:

• Feeling fully alive…
• Fully appreciating and enjoying each moment…
• Living in alignment with your individual values and purpose…
• Living in joy and abundance…
• Sharing and connecting in meaningful relationships…
  Doing what you LOVE…
• Realizing your dreams and goals…
• Acknowledge to yourself that you ARE living a truly fully fulfilled life!!!

There are many factors that contribute to fulfillment. Throughout our coaching relationship we’ll explore the 10½ Keys to Fulfillment, we’ll identify what true fulfillment is to you, and we’ll cultivate fulfillment in EVERY area of your life. Creating a life of fulfillment isn’t necessarily easy. However, it’s worth the effort. And you deserve it!

2. Create CLARITY on “What YOU really WANT in your life”

Sometimes this is the toughest step of all. In this grand smorgasbord in life, we get to choose. Actually, we have to choose, or life will choose for us. And, throughout life we often have to redefine are choices as we evolve and grow. What was most important five years ago is probably not what’s really most important to you now. In clarifying the “what’s most important?”, enormous energy is freed up. Clarity is POWER. And, often times simply “deciding” what’s important creates a chain reaction that magnetically begins to pull you toward it.

• What’s most important to you in life?
• What’s most important to you in your career?
• What’s most important to you in your relationships?
• What are you tolerating in your life?
• What do you want MORE of?
• What do you want LESS of?

As your coach, we’ll explore options, discover what you really want in life, and focus on what you truly love to do. Then we’ll design your life around the “what’s most important”, setting values-based goals and prioritized action items, and diligently integrate them into your life.

3. Strengthen your personal foundation, raise your standards, eliminate tolerations and set boundaries

Every person who engages a coach wants more, sometimes much more, and knows that they must make certain changes in their personal and professional lives in order to get more of what they really want. These changes take time, coaching and effort. The coach focuses on strengthening a client’s Personal Foundation, as a way to accelerate and attract more easily the client’s goals. By investing in your Personal Foundation you will:

• Discover what your personal needs are so you can get them met once and for all
• Develop a surplus of time, money, space, relationships and love in your life
• Increase your ENERGY and take really great care of yourself
• Eliminate draining tasks and commitments
• Reorient your life around your values, and establish boundaries that support you
• You will expect more of others’ and yourself
• Your life will get simpler, easier and less stressful

4. Start ATTRACTING into your life, rather than struggling

Sounds good, doesn’t it? Imagine& … a life without struggle. Wow!!! I define Attraction is defined as being whole and present so that you EFFORTLESSLY draw in to you what you want in life versus having to sell, seduce or promote yourself. Through the power of Attraction you can accomplish more of your objectives in less time. Through the power of attraction you have an abundance of time, energy, love and power. Through our coaching, you’ll discover where you are already “attracting” and what can make you even more “attractive”. Attraction happens through shifting your attitude, home, life, career and habits. Attraction happens through strengthening your personal foundation. Attraction becomes a way of being.

5. FOCUS + ACTION = RESULTS

Who says you have to work harder to create more results? We’ll create the plans that maximize your desired results, without draining your life (yes, we’ll utilize that Law of Attraction we just talked about). Focusing on an effective “plan of action” is half the battle. Moving consistently toward the desired target is the other key. When people get CLEAR about what they want, often times, they quickly forget. Not because their goals and objectives are no longer important, but because they get caught up in life, get busy, and present moment challenges zap their attention. My role as your coach is to HOLD this Focus, and keep your vision alive. As your coach, I will remind you of the “What’s Most Important in YOUR life” and gently nudge you in the direction of your dreams. You’ll KEEP YOUR FOCUS and never venture too far off track. Focused Attention + Deliberate Action = Fabulous Results.

6. Accountability — The Power of your Word

Have you ever broken a commitment you made to yourself? Yep, me too. As silly as it may sound, the power of your “word” to an unbiased third party (namely your coach) can be pure magic. Having a coach to verbally commit to each week, puts more leverage on you to make your commitments happen. Some people have told me that they shouldn’t have to hire a coach to “report in” to weekly, just to get more done. Shouldn’t they be disciplined enough to “just do it” on their own? Perhaps. However, you’ll often times identify action steps through coaching that you never would have thought of. How can you implement an idea you never had? Whether you consider yourself motivated or not, disciplined or not, creative or not, never underestimate the power of your word within the coaching relationship.

7. To Create more BALANCE in your life

Balance. Is that really possible? Of course it is. And, it’s something we can all use more of. Each area of our life IS connected. When one area of life is out of balance, it affects the others. When life is out of balance& we’re putting all of our energy in one or two areas of life, depleting our energy. In coaching we’ll look at your whole life – from Health to Relationships, from Career to Finances, from “Fun & Recreation” to “Personal and Spiritual Growth”. As we focus on “rounding out” each area of your life, a ripple affect influences each of the others. Balance gives you peace of mind, energy and a deeper sense of fulfillment. And, yes, it IS possible.

8. To fully engage the BEINGNESS in your life (sometimes harder than the “doingness” in life)

We are Human Beings, not Human Doings. However, when we look out into the world we may be convinced in the latter. What does it mean to engage the “beingness” in your life? It means focusing on the states of being that you want to experience in life. Love, abundance, joy, playfulness, centeredness, connection to others are states of being. By focusing on these qualities, life shifts. The reason most of us “do, do, do” in life, is because we are seeking certain feelings, or states of being. However, if we shift our focus to the states of being we are after, then the “doing” happens more effortlessly. There are HUGE and numerous benefits to “BEING”. It’s where peace of mind lives. Beingness “attracts” all kinds of things into our lives, connection, relationships, love, money, and those things that create fulfillment. It’s where we tap into our most creative space. It’s where we find ourselves. It’s when we slow down long enough to notice ourselves, notice our bodies, notice our feelings. It’s a place of integration.

9. To challenge you to stretch and GROW in new and exciting ways

As human beings, we ALL have an innate NEED to learn and grow. In fact, people who have stopped learning and growing in life are usually dead, or among the “walking dead”. Learning and growth are among the most satisfying and fulfilling experiences available to us. I’m a huge believer in “life long learning” and pride myself in being a voracious student of life — reading 30+ books a year, attending seminars, ever expanding my professional skills through ongoing training, and learning from life through people and personal experience. I attract clients that love to learn and grow, and want to take themselves to the next level — are looking to be challenged to stretch and grow in new ways through our coaching relationship. Of all the reasons individuals come to coaching, the bottom line is CHANGE — and change means growth.

10. To explore your life purpose and vision and integrate it fully into your magnificent life

Life purpose and vision is a vitally important element in creating a fulfilled life. Those who are clear of their life purpose and are truly living their purpose every day, are among the most fulfilled individuals I know. The more integrally one lives their life’s vision and purpose, the deeper fulfilled and the more magic will be experienced. What is your life purpose and vision? How can you more fully LIVE this life vision? With a compelling vision, you find yourself excited about getting out of bed every morning, your day flies by, and you enjoy each day more fully. As your coach, I can help you identify your vision. The next step is integrating your vision into your life, so that it’s more than just “words on paper”. Many clients have even created “mini-visions” for each area of their life. The result has been living a richer, deeper, meaningful and more fulfilling life.

11. Tap your Inner Wisdom for GUIDANCE

You are FULL of wisdom right now!!! That’s right. YOU are full of WISDOM. In coaching, the most brilliance and wisdom comes from YOU. Through the art of asking questions (that’s my job), noticing the subtleties in your voice and I can tap that inner wisdom that is anxiously waiting to come out.

12. To process through problems and challenging periods

Through coaching you will get to the root of the problem and create solutions. It amazes me how quickly a problem can be solved with focused attention and TWO committed beings (namely client and coach). Sometimes what’s needed even more than a solution is a true acknowledgment of what IS. In coaching we call that “being with” a problem. It’s really not that scary. In slowing down long enough to “be with” the problem, amazing things become available. Either way “staying stuck” with problems becomes something of the past. With problems handled and resolved you’ll have more energy to invest into your life.

13. Have YOUR successes fully championed, acknowledged and celebrated

Have you ever worked long and hard to accomplish an objective, then not had someone to fully celebrate with you? Or had a personal breakthrough that your friends and family just don’t seem to fully appreciate? It can be a let-down to work diligently on a task, or “on yourself” — and then not have it fully appreciated or noticed by others. We are often are worst critics and forget to even acknowledge ourselves. I, too, used to underestimate the power of acknowledgment and championing, writing it off to fluff and hype. I’ve learned how impactful and life-altering it is — not only by noticing the impact with my clients, but in noticing the impact on ME, as I experience acknowledgment from my coach and others. It can be the single most important element in EMPOWERING you and CREATING MOMENTUM. What if ALL your Successes and breakthroughs were acknowledged, championed and celebrated? What if you had someone in your life who assumed this role? As you are taking your life to the next level, your coach will do just that. Why is this important? Simply stated, YOU deserve it!!!

14. Give yourself an EDGE in your career, in your life.

So, maybe you feel like “you can do all this by yourself” — and don’t really NEED a coach. Nobody really needs a coach. However, everyone CAN greatly benefit from a coach. All things being equal, having a coach gives you an edge over someone without a coach – in your career, in your business and in your life. Having a coach means having an edge. An edge that has you three to four strides ahead of others. An edge that gives you strength, confidence, and empowerment to handle anything in your business and your life. An edge that will propel you forward into life maximizing your fulfillment along the way.

By Healing Coach Mary Allen (view full article here)

By inc.com (view entire article here)

Mark Thompson has worked side by side with three of the world’s most legendary disruptive innovators: Steve Jobs, Charles Schwab and Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson. He brings insight from decades of experience with these great leaders and research on the culture of companies and brands that achieve the highest levels of employee engagement, customer loyalty and continuous sales growth.

Bonita Thompson is a senior human resources executive for global corporations and for 25 years was an HR innovator for six major firms, including Bank of America, Genentech, Levi Strauss, Pacific Telesis, Varian and Catellus. She is bestselling author of Admired: 21 Ways to Double Your Value.

How has coaching changed since you began working with executives?

Mark: In the past, Boards and HR leaders hired an executive coach in the C-Suite to fix something broken. Most likely, something or someone at the company needed to address a crisis quickly. An executive coach would be brought in, resolve the issue, and sent on his or her way. That attitude has dramatically changed in the last 10 to 15 years.

Today every high performance company is immersed in change and disruption that’s so demanding that top execs must ‘scale’ their leadership skills faster than ever in order to scale the business faster than what happened in the past.

What is one of the most common things you help your clients achieve?

Bonita: One of the things we help with and that you are going to gain from hiring an executive coach is that your coach will have the ability to see things that you might not see. When you are moving fast it’s hard to assess everything going on around you and a coach can help you avoid being blindsided.

Mark: Right, we are there to help you see around corners, evaluate opportunities, weigh tradeoff’s and give you a fresh, new perspective.

What should you look to for in a coach?

Mark: It’s critical that you find a coach who will dive in and understand your business objectives and the pressures you’re under, as much as your personal and professional realities. A great executive coach takes a fully integrated, holistic approach to all dimensions because that’s the only way to be sure you’re successful and feel meaning in your life and work. I look at how you can be even more effective with your teams, peers, stakeholders. I want to know what you’re passionate about and what holds you back by taking the time to learn about you and learn about what you are trying to accomplish.

Bonita: You’ve got to have chemistry with your executive coach. If you don’t respect the person and they don’t respect you in a deep sense, the relationship is never going to work. Yes, I said relationship. A great executive coach is going will care about you and your business. When I have tough topics to cover I try put things in a way that they are more easily heard. The goal is positive change. I don’t know many people who can be shamed into positive change. Showing empathy and triangulating to the solution, can be more effective than hitting someone over the head.

I don’t need to know everything about an executive to help them in achieving a goal. Perhaps a more pressing concept is understanding that our actions speak louder than our words. Creating environments and systems that help your actions and goals align is probably more effective than learning everything about a person’s past. We do look at values so we can alien the goals – actions – values. Hopefully, executives still have a sense of privacy and trust after a session.

It takes hard work and a strong team to get to the top. One member of that team should be an executive coach. From my experience you will be able to see your goals more clearly when you can look through the eyes of your coach. Think about that Olympic Champion on the podium. They didn’t get there without their team. Think about bringing on an executive coach to help you get on that podium.

By inc.com (view entire article here)