Life Coaching Lessons — ‘Only Help Those Who Want Help And Are Ready For It’
As I continue to expand my reach with clients from all over the globe, I’m learning so much about people, myself, business, coaching as a profession, and everything in between.
If you’re a life coach or are looking to become one, these lessons I’m about to share are very valuable. However, I want to learn from you, too, so if you read this and you have a different opinion, or if this resonates with you, I want to know about it.
I’ll be here for the next 30 days, every day, sharing some very powerful insights and perspectives that have altered my business as well as the business of coaches in their respective fields.
So, let’s check out one of these lessons…
LESSON 1: ONLY HELP THOSE WHO ARE READY AND WANT IT.
When I joined the coaching industry, I was eager to help everyone, and I was excited to have conversations and give them the support they wanted.
So I offered my services and my help everywhere I went and to everyone I talked to, only to find myself tired, deflated, and questioning whether or not I had what it takes to be a life coach.
Oh, what a wake-up call that was!
First and foremost, don’t, and I mean DON’T, offer to help those who don’t ask for it. Period! If you do, not only will you find yourself in an uphill battle, but you’ll also become the enemy. When people aren’t ready to see their problem, the desire to make a change, and the willingness to do the work, you’ll either end up carrying their load, or they will think you don’t understand them.
My suggestion: if someone wants to hold on to their story and their suffering, let them. You can only help those who are willing to help themselves.
Then you have people who say they ‘want’ the help.
Here, you may find people who are convinced that they want to be helped and change the results they see in their lives, but you’ll soon find out that they’re not prepared to make the leap. They might make small shifts but when the going gets a little tough, they revert back to their comfort zone.
And then you have the people who REALLY WANT THE HELP.
These people are willing to get down and dirty, to do the work, to understand that it’s not always a smooth process, and to trust that you, as a coach, can lead them in the right direction.
When you find these people, you’ve struck gold!
Now, here’s what I want to mention: neither of these categories is good or bad, or one is better than the other. I want to raise your awareness so that you don’t make up stories about yourself that keep you stuck instead of helping those who are ready and need what you have to offer.
I’ve honestly been in all those categories. While I’ve worked a lot on myself over the past 15 years and coached people from over 45 countries or more, I still have a lot to unpack and deal with.
What I’ve learned is the most beneficial thing to do is not judge myself (as best as I can).
Carry this with you and see how helpful it is. If you do start judging yourself, don’t let that become another reason to judge. Instead, see that as a chance to interrupt this pattern.
So tell me, what’s your experience with the things that I’ve shared?
What is your biggest takeaway from this lesson?
I can’t wait to read your responses.
Let’s coach the world, one client and one problem at a time.
