The weekend before my first life coaching session I spend idly drawing up a list. A list of things I would like to improve on, or change in their entirety. I have decided to go into the process as objectively as possible. After all, I have a lifetime of journalistic experience to draw on. It is paramount that I remain as objective as possible, but I find myself feeling a little jaded.
What can a Life Coach do for me that a plethora of therapists could not do for me? And so I list things like:
✅ a reluctance to complete projects
✅ the book I have on the backburner
✅ my desire to embrace and implement an organised approach to work and home.
That is as far as I go.
IS CHANGE POSSIBLE?
I think…I’m fifty two years old…my habits have been cast in stone. My desk looks like it has been hit by a tsunami and has done so for the past thirty years. I spend an hour looking for something that I need. Alas! The much-needed document is filed along with missing socks, a sandal, a pen I really liked, and more worrying; my purse. It’s exhausting.
THE FIRST SESSION
I’m not going to say much, I think. Let Simone figure out what I should do about it. After all, she is the life coach. And so it is with a strange little knot of tension in the pit of my stomach that I get ready for my ninety-minute meeting with Simone. Wow I think, ninety minutes is a long time – I don’t have that much to say. Later, upon reflection I think that I may have filled up a three-hour session.
SESSION 1 STARTS UNLOCKING MY MIND
The questions Simone asks unlock a series of surprising responses in me. I immediately feel ‘safe’ with her. After only one 90-minute evaluation session I have already gained new insights. Specifically into some of the reasons why I may be doing the things I do, sabotaging myself.
I had not realised that issues I thought I had long since dealt with, but hadn’t really, have a negative impact. This affected my self-worth and my dreams for the future. I realised I deal with painful issues by pretending they are not there. Just like the chaotic cupboard in my bedroom, I just don’t open its door.
INSIGHTS IN THE AFTERMATH
The first day after my first coaching session is filled with some of the exercises I must action. I am left dazed by the insights I gain as I do them. “Baby steps,” I hear Simone say to me as I do the exercises. My trepidation about what the programme can offer me, is replaced by a sense of excitement.
I can’t wait to see where my journey takes me. The knowledge that I have the best possible guide accompanying me on my travels, makes me feel safe.
Join us for more “Life Coaching Diary” posts. I would love to hear how your journey is going.
PLEASE NOTE: Client confidentiality is of utmost importance in my business. While this life coaching diary shares details of a personal journey, the identity or any details that may be linked directly to the client will not be revealed.
This client has agreed to share this diary with the specific aim of “opening up” and debunking any misconceptions about life coaching.
