The difference between life coaching and the support from my female friends

The difference between life coaching and the support from my female friends

by | Apr 30, 2018 | Best Life, Life Coaching

I have amazing friends. A really great support network of happy, communicative, open and supportive people in my life. And of course I am absolutely blessed for it.

Because I have been surrounded by women and have been mostly comfortable around women for most of my life, I’ve had the fortune of many intimate “womanly” conversations and insights; I’ve learned about common insecurities and embarrassing issues, and I’ve received piles upon miles of advice and mentorship through my life.

I also have had the experience of working, even briefly, with some great coaches. Women who also provide support, encouragement and insight.

While my friends offer plenty of loving support, vulnerability, openness, and help with managing and getting through all my many moods of life, they do so from their platform of opinions and from our shared experiences. They offer up wisdom and helpful advice, based on their assumptions, beliefs and knowledge.

And this is the biggest difference between the supportive, nurturing relationships of my friends and the empowering, judgement-free relationships with my coaches.

Life Coaching: Building self-trust, self-awareness and the power of choice

A life coach facilitates positive change, whether in habits, beliefs, or moods, but does so by removing their personal presumptions and opinions from the mix.

Like a great network of girlfriends, a coach also offers plenty of life support, but they also create much needed space. Space that allows me to bring my own wisdom to the surface, and trust it. Instead of just offering their professional expertise and wisdom, my coaches ask questions. Matter of fact, non-judgmental questions that force me to come up with my own answers. And not just any answers. The ones that are best for me.

Having a support network and circle of friends (large or small) through all stages of life is essential for a fulfilled, balanced life. Good friends help us to be seen; they encourage, support, champion and help us to know we are not alone in this world.

I’ve learned over the past few years that life coaches, in their many forms, are also an incredibly powerful resource we can use for an even more fulfilled, balanced, motivated, inspired and productive life. For the most part, they don’t tell us what to do, but they challenge. They don’t give us advice, but they show us where we’ve already come up with our own, custom solutions. They don’t criticize, judge or scold, but instead allow us to make our own decisions.

Of course there are many types of life coaches that specialize in various areas of life, and people will have different experiences working with different people.

For myself, a very independent someone who has never considered any sort of external, professional guidance, I’m so happy that I’ve finally, after forty odd years of life, discovered the empowerment a trained life coach can facilitate. I wouldn’t trade my girlfriends for the world, but I also now know the difference between navigating life with the help of loved ones and with the professional guidance of a coach.

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily”
– Zig Ziglar

This is exactly why, as a life coach, I try to remove more of myself (ego) from my coaching relationships and why I am working on new programs and events that combine in-person human connection, welcoming and judgement-free friendships and awareness-building life coaching.

My monthly, full moon circles for women are a sacred space for sharing and connection, however I’m also working on a new group program that incorporates the expertise, and self-reflection that comes from life coaching. If this interests you, get on my list to receive email updates or come on over to Facebook to continue the conversation.

I believe the majority of us can all use some more support and encouragement in our lives, and especially more connection with each other.

xo
Rachel

Confidence, momentum, focus.
Interested in learning how coaching can help you and your team? Schedule a free 15-minute call with Rachel here:

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The magic of setting intentions for a new year

The magic of setting intentions for a new year

by | Jan 5, 2018 | Best Life

There’s something very powerful about setting intentions for a new year.

Of course it’s possible to set intentions, make goals and change habits any time of the year, but this special time between Winter Solstice (December 21) and the first new moon in January is ideal for a few magical reasons. There’s favorable strategic planetary alignment, there is the residual energy of ancient, deep-rooted ceremonies and traditions and there’s what I think is most powerful – the energy of the collective consciousness that believes we can shed, change, kick-start momentum and manifest during this time.

Millions of people from all countries around the world embrace this time to intentionally make improvements in their lives, focus on new beginning and positively look ahead to the future. There are rituals, ceremonies, traditions; gatherings, prayer circles and collaborative planning.

Universal law says that simply by amassing this similar global thought-processes, makes it so. Meaning, that just by a huge amount of people focusing on the same thing or believing something to be true, affects what is actually truth in our world. And thus, all this positive, universal energy makes a re-set possible; it provides momentum for change, inspiration for bigger thinking and provides a high vibe time to reflect and move towards a more authentic life path.

Resolutions vs Intentions

Traditionally, new years resolutions are “firm decisions” that often stem from a more negative place that looks to break habits, fix ourselves or solve problems. They’re outcome-driven and are usually only “successful” if they’re actually completed.

“I won’t eat sugar….I will work out more…..I will make 10 sales calls a week…” The problem with this, is the focus on the pain and the idea that we need fixing. There’s a lot of pressure around incorporating “should-do” new habits into our lives!

The new year provides momentum, but for many, resolutions often fizzle after a few weeks or a few months. Any goal-setting and/or improvement plans for your life are a great thing, but resolutions require commitment and self-discipline. They would greatly benefit from an accountability partner or coach to keep you on track.

Intention-setting, on the other hand, is a peaceful, self-reflective process that embraces your entire future journey. It’s about making choices about who you want to become; how you want your life to unfold and how you plan to do things differently.

 

With intention setting, you envision and invite more positivity into any aspect of your life such as relationships, business, parenting or health, and mindfully incorporate it into your day-to-day, without fear of failure. Here, instead of solely focusing on the bad habits you want to change or your adding more “should-do” tasks to your calendar, take it a little deeper by asking yourself and answering some key questions that will uncover your deeper desires.

Ask and envision:

  1. Who are you, really? What does your most ideal self look like? What does your most ideal self think, feel and do from day-to-day?
  2. What currently is holding you back from being your most authentic, ideal self?
  3. What main things do you want to change in your life?
  4. What can you change to bring you more into alignment to your authentic, ideal self?
  5. What intention(s) can you make to yourself or the universe? State them, write them down.

Dreamy sky These are some of my Intentions for 2018. I set them, wrote them down and “released” them to the universe. From here, I try to align my everyday actions and thoughts with who I want to become or the life I want to live.

1. I intend to and will love, honour and respect myself. I will recognize and embrace my worth and the contribution I make to society. I will do this by raising my standards, meditating more often and making an effort to be authentically me!

2. I am being a more mindful and attentive parent. By reducing our household digital time and by spending more quality time together as a family, my children are empowered, learning and nourished.

3. I am allowing more money to come into my life. As a result of embracing my worth and respecting my contribution, I am accepting and attracting more money into my life than I ever have. This money will allow my family and I to travel, explore, savour, be nourished and take classes and buy a new car.

4. I am honouring and respecting my entire body, from head (brain) to toe; this incredible vessel that allows me to participate in this world. I am honouring and strengthening it with self-care, exercise, healthy food and positive thinking.

My words for 2018: Authenticity / Alignment / Movement

My statement for 2018: I value my contribution to the world and I accept and am worthy of a wonderful abundance of love, money and joy!

“Don’t be pushed by your problems, be led by your dreams” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Making intentions stick

Now, just because I’ve set intentions doesn’t mean this is how I will automatically live my life! Even intentions (or deep desires) require some sort of vigilance – otherwise they will get lost in the day-to-day.

Yes, it’s true – even though we can envision and dream our ideal lives/relationships/businesses and think about all the wonderful ways we want to live, we often forget what exactly we want simply by waking up to a new (same as before) day. This is why it’s essential to make this a practice.

Write down your intentions. Do something ceremonial like light a candle or sage if this is part of your practice. Otherwise, simply make a commitment to read you list every single day.

Technically, this step is my only resolution; or the ONE thing I must be absolute about. I know that by reading and thus, remembering my intentions and by visualizing my intended positive growth, things will holistically and naturally start to change. I will change. And if my intentions change, so be it.

To help get you started, I have created a free 2018 Productivity & Passion Strategy Workbook.

This booklet incorporates actual tools that I use in my 1:1 life and business coaching, and I know that they can help anyone unlock deep desires and plan next steps!

*Remember, no matter whether you choose to set resolutions or intentions (or both), any conscious planning can be extremely beneficial.

Download your 2018 Productivity & Passion Workbook here.

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