It’s very possible you’ve read the title and are thinking, ‘this is written by a life coach, of course she is going to say yes’, but actually I’m not. But I won’t just say ‘it depends’ either as that’s probably the most annoying answer of all.
The key question here is one of ‘value’. For anything you invest in, be it a product like a TV or a service like a massage, what you aim to perceive is for your exchange of money to be congruent with the value you’ve received from your purchase (such as enjoying your new surround-sound or pain-free shoulders).
So how does this translate to life coaching – where is the value to be had? Calculating a ‘return on investment’ here doesn’t seem so straight forward.
determining value of life coaching...
Here are where I think some of the issues lie with determining the value of investing in life coaching:
· Tangibility. When you buy a product, the tangible outcome of your purchase is very evident. Even with some services, like a haircut, manicure or massage, again, you have a tangible outcome to show for your investment. Life coaching isn’t about someone else waving a magic wand, telling you what to do, and solving all your problems, thus giving you an immediate tangible outcome. Which brings me on to the next point:
· Expectations. Knowing what you are investing in is so important. You might be thinking ‘a life coach can’t live my life for me, and if they don’t tell me what to do, how can investing in one help me?’.
All coaches will operate a bit differently, but at the core, a life coach supports you to enable changes through questions, reflections, choices, new thinking and behaviours. You will need to know why you want, or at least think you know why you want to invest in a life coach, and want things in your life to change.
· Comparability. When looking for your new TV, you can compare the exact make and model in different outlets to see which offers you the best value. Unfortunately, this can’t translate to life coaching. All coaches will be different, do things a bit differently, and their pricing can vary from the minimal to the several thousands, making direct comparisons for value very difficult.
what can make a life coach worth it?
Highlighting these issues isn’t about putting you off, it’s about being realistic about making a wise investment. And any coach worth their salt would also not want you to make an unwise investment and be unhappy with your experience with them.
So how can this investment be worth it? I think there are a few things required here to make life coaching a wise choice, concerning you, understanding the benefits, and the right coach:
· You. Coaching might not be what you are looking for, or what you need. Most coaches will take the time to determine if they genuinely believe they can help you. In a nutshell, this is likely to require you being ready, willing and able to invest – not just your money – but your time, input, honesty and commitment to coaching. It has always been very true in my experience of coaching (both as a coach and a coachee) that you will get out of it what you bring to it. You will want something to shift in your life, will need an open-mind about the coaching process and the thinking that may come to light, and be willing to take action as a result. I’m afraid this part is on you, a coach can’t do this for you!
· The benefits of coaching. I spoke before about tangible outcomes. I do believe these are gained from life coaching – but they aren’t necessarily immediate, as obvious as some other investments, and I believe they do require the things discussed in this article to be in place to be successful. These are some of the benefits of working with the right life coach, and if these are what you’d like to have, then life coaching could be right for you:
- Clarity. Specifically, about understanding yourself better, and what you want (and don’t want!) in your life. Sometimes this can feel crystal clear, and other times we can need a bit of help to get that clarity and focus back.
- Identifying what’s in your way. And this can be a big one! Sometimes we can’t see ‘the wood for the trees’ when we are immersed in only our own perspective. We get used to seeing the world in a certain way, like through our own lens. This can create mental blocks or feelings of being stuck (all I see is all there is). A coach can help you identify new thinking, perspectives and possible solutions.
- Time out! How often do you really get to stop for a moment, and just think about you and your needs? Daily life can be a treadmill of ‘to do’ and looking towards ‘what’s next?’. Coaching is a moment to press pause and enjoy the present, even just for a while.
- Focus on goals that matter to you. Just like the new year’s resolutions that get cast aside in February, it can be tough to maintain motivation, action and dedication to both long- and short-term goals. A coach can help you better understand your immediate needs and future wants, your commitment to these, and help you plan the steps to get you there. We can’t create more time, but we have choices to make with the time we do have.
- Understanding yourself. Chances are this isn’t what you had in mind as a benefit for starting coaching! It can sound a bit ‘woo’ and meaningless. But actually it is important as a starting point for most things – after all, we’ve determined that only you can live your life, and how you think, feel and behave directly impacts how that life will pan out. When you understand what triggers you, drives you, causes you discomfort, what assumptions you might be making about yourself, others and your situation, you can better choose how to respond (as opposed to react).
- Accountability. How often do we let ourselves off the hook for something we only admitted to ourselves that we would do?! A life coach’s role isn’t to berate you for not meeting your goal, but to help you determine why it isn’t on track and what can be done to resolve that, if it is something that genuinely matters to you.
· The right coach. Coaching is a very personal process. Thoughts, feelings and emotions may come up that you weren’t expecting. The right coach is one that you can feel comfortable with sharing the ‘warts and all’, one that you trust and feel you have a rapport with. If you don’t feel these things, then I advise that you don’t invest because it becomes very difficult for either of you to make the process work well. Most coaches will spend time talking with you free of charge before you commence working together – and this is in both of your interests. If they don’t, your investment could be more of a question mark, in my view.
You might be thinking ‘surely I don’t need a coach for this, I can do this alone?’ or ‘I can ask my partner / parents etc if I need support.’ Both of those things may be true, and it could well be that coaching isn’t what you want or need right now. But it’s actually a good thing that your coach isn’t your parent or partner or family. To put it bluntly, there are no expectations, baggage or vested interest with a coach who is not this close to you. Similarly, you don’t need to worry about impressing them, hiding things from them, or not being honest with them because your relationship is purely based around the coaching you are having with them.
the right question, and your answer
I hope this has given you some food for thought in answer to the question ‘is a life coach worth it?’ I’d add ‘for you, now’ at the end of the question.
I honestly believe that the answer can be ‘absolutely yes’. Being a coach myself, I’m not immune to wanting to work with one myself, and I’m fortunate to know many coaches and have received coaching from a few of them. I have experienced the value of these experiences first-hand, and have made significant changes in my life. And, in my experience as the coach, the very best outcome is to see a positive shift in my clients. It’s why I do it as my job!
If you’re curious to know more, and would like to know if I may be the right coach for you, please do get in touch kathryn@kbmindfulcoaching.com . We will work out the answer to that question before you might invest and we work together.
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