An exploration into Transformational Life Coaching and Career Coaching; the journey of self-awareness, personal growth, empowerment and achieving your goals.

Coaching has changed my life. It has helped me to achieve goals that I didn’t even know I had. Just 18 months ago I was 100% committed to the stories I was telling myself. Stories such as; I didn’t have the confidence to own a business, I didn’t have the focus, I didn’t want the responsibility, I wasn’t good enough, I was too scared…

I believed these stories. I ‘knew’ them to be true. Yet, 18 months on I am now the owner of a fledgling life and careers coaching business. Whilst on the face of it I am only a few months in, in reality, the journey to this point has been years in the making – and the secret to this success was coaching.

So what is coaching? What is transformational life coaching? What is career coaching? And how can coaching help you to achieve goals you don’t even know you have?

Coaching Definitions

In my opinion, the very short answer is that coaching = change. The process of positive growth and sustained success in specific areas of your life. The International Coaching Federation (ICF) defines coaching as:

‘[The process of] partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential’.

If you have recognised an area of your life that you want to, you need to, change but you just cannot see the way forward, coaching will help you. Coaching will empower you. Coaching will help you to get out of your own way. There’s a reason why the worlds most successful individuals all have coaches. Oprah Winfrey has a coach. Richard Brandon, Cristiano Ronaldo, Barack Obama. Even Buddha had a coach.

What all these people have in common, as well as having coaches, is the self-awareness that they can’t get what they want without the help of others. A coach will give you a new perspective, they will help you get out of your head and away from your self-limiting stories, into a world of possibility and action.

A Word Of Warning

A word of warning to all those who are ready to drop some cash for somebody else to fix their problems; coaching doesn’t work like that. Quick fixes get shallow results. Sure, in the short term you may see some positive effects, but the process of coaching is, by definition, the long game. It is about long term sustained change and sustained success. A coach cannot change you, you have to change yourself. This is where the magic happens.

How much more empowering is it to know that you have everything, everything, you need inside of you to create the life you desire. You might not be able to see it right now, but this is part of the transformational journey that you will embark on with a coach.

In my view, there is nothing in the world as rewarding as getting to know yourself. You may think me a little narcissistic and you’re probably listing numerous other things that you would define as more rewarding; doing charitable work, making your child smile, climbing that mountain. But I guarantee, if you know yourself first and then do all these things, they will be brighter, bolder and even more deeply impactful to those around you and yourself.

Not to mention that the chance of you being able to create those rewarding moments are significantly increased through the process of self discovery.

If your goal is to help others, then ultimately helping yourself first is the biggest service you can do for them.

“Before you assist others, always put your oxygen mask on first.”

Transformational Coaching

Transformational coaching builds upon normal coaching by adding layers of depth to the process of achieving your goals. The Animas Centre for Coaching defines transformational coaching as:

‘The process of exploring the clients inner world of beliefs and assumptions in order to create a greater possibility for ways of being’.

There is absolutely no point striving for a goal if it isn’t yours. Ever had a goal but no motivation to actually achieve it? Chances are, your goal was not your own. Chances are you were influenced by society, marketing, your culture, your friends, your family or something else, and you became convinced that you wanted to achieve ‘X’.

That you wanted to become a Lawyer or Doctor, that you wanted to win that award, that you wanted the house, the car, the impressive job title. But deep down, in your subconscious, you knew it wasn’t something you truly cared about so you held yourself back, without understanding the reasons why. Or, you pushed through it all, even though it was really hard and didn’t come easy… only to find that when you achieved said goal, there was only emptiness and no real feeling of success.

Transformational coaching strips everything back and allows you to go on a deep journey where the destination is understanding your thoughts, beliefs, hopes and dreams to a level you never knew possible. It’s about uncovering deeply meaningful goals, that you actually care about and knowing the reasons why you do.

What is the importance of this? When you strive for goals that are your own, your chances of achieving them are significantly increased and you start to travel down the path of building a life on your own terms.

How Does Careers Coaching Fit Into All Of This?

Your life is made up of many different areas: physical health, mental health, money, environment, creativity, sexuality, spirituality, relationships and your work-life purpose. Many people believe that if they exercise and eat well then they’re doing all they can to lead a healthy and balanced life. However, it’s not that simple.

All too often, significant life pillars are ignored or there is no strategic cultivation within those areas. When was the last time you did something to contribute to your spirituality? When did you last concentrate on having a creative outlet? How much is the busy polluted environment you live in affecting your well-being?

Commonly, one of the life pillars that is underserved is your work-life purpose i.e. your career.

I believe that through cultivating and creating a career on your terms, you can significantly improve your other life pillars, for example, relationships, mental health, your environment and your creativity. Most of us have to work  – in fact, most of us will spend one-third of our entire life working.

The process of career coaching involves discovering and building upon your unique strengths, aligning your work with your personal values, defining ‘success’ on your own terms, connecting with your ‘why’, exploring your curiosities, interests and passions and taking strategic, supported, action towards your professional goals.

Whether you’re looking to advance your career within an organisation, living the freelance/ self-employed life or heading up your own successful business, career coaching will help you create and build the career of your dreams.

My Complementary Blend Of Transformational Life Coaching With Career Coaching…

By combining transformational life coaching, in which you gain awareness of yourself and who you are, with career coaching – you are able to gain clarity on what line of work will serve you best, what is holding you back and you will understand the steps you need to take in order to achieve your goals.  

This isn’t just a matter of finding a job – this is a matter of consciously curating a fulfilling career and stepping into a life bigger and brighter than you ever imagined.

Creating a fulfilling career and a beautiful life isn’t easy. If it was, everyone would have one – and we all know that isn’t the case. But if you’re willing to put the time and effort in, if you’re willing to invest in your future and have the wherewithal to recognise when you need support from others – the pay off can be huge.

The pay off can be your health and wellbeing and your ability to tap into the wonderful energy that comes with a rewarding and purposeful career.