COACHING: When it’s beyond Oprah and Dr. Phil
How many more servings of the daytime self-help salad will it take to sooth your appetite? To actually get your life to where you want it to be? To actually start seeing changes for yourself rather than just on the tear-filled faces of Oprah’s latest guests?
How about the alternatives? If you stick with TV then you will likely wind up in frightening dead ends with the likes of Jerry, Ricky and Montel. So, you read a few more Chicken Soup books, listen to another Anthony Robbins seminar and double up on the appointments with your shrink. Still nothing?
Consider coaching. Within the past decade, life (or personal) coaching has become the self-help book put into action. Once reserved for executives facing tough decisions in elite corners of corporate America, coaching has now become a catalyst for success in life, career and relationships for mainstream America. Think of coaching as having your own Dr. Phil on call; someone there not to diagnose emotional problems or feel your pain, but to help you set better goals, take more action, make better decisions and use your natural strengths more fully.
Coaching has been touted as a cutting edge resource for life success by every form of national media. Health Magazine recently called coaching, “The path to success." The Washington Post recently headlined, “many who want a winning record in the game of life are hiring a Life coach." The profession is even showcased in a new reality TV show called Starting Over, although many coaches see this as painting the profession as merely the latest self-help fad.
Here’s how it works. Life coaches are retained on a monthly basis with fees ranging from $150-$400, on average. This generally includes three or four coaching sessions that last anywhere from half an hour to a full hour. Most coaches also provide additional support and communication between sessions via e-mail, instant messaging or brief “check in" phone calls. It is also common practice for coaches to provide a free introductory session for potential clients to get a sampling of what being coached is like and to see if they “click" with their potential coach. Those hiring coaches run the gamut. Coaching clients are parents, teachers, business professionals, “Midlifers", students and business owners. They are basically, anyone ready for life change through the support, guidance, challenge and clarity that coaching provides. When moving forward rather than digging deeper begins to sound like the right recipe, then coaching might be your next best step. Don’t forget, Jerry, Ricky and Montel will always be there to remind you of the alternatives!
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