Coaching Editorial

BY Lawrence Laidlow

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What is coaching?

The main objective is to bring about deep psychological changes to help you remove limiting thought patterns and behaviour which hold you back in life, relationships and careers.  Its not the same as training, training is about learning specific skill sets to enable you to carry out a job. Coaching will allow you to use that training without hindrance and perform without limit. 

Who needs coaching?

Most people can benefit from a coach and the stigma of feeling embarrassed needing some help is beginning to fade. Most business owners and executive get bogged down in the running of their companies, balance tends to disappear from their life. Coaching can redress the balance.

Mind & body.

There is thing called mind-body link. That is to say whatever you think, the body acts upon. For example, sit down for a minute, totally relax and clear your mind.  Now think of the absolute worst day you have ever had, how did that make you feel? Reflect upon that for 20 seconds. Now stand up.  Ok, sit down again, now think of the most wonderful experience you have ever had, how did that make you feel?  Reflect upon that for 20 seconds. Now stand up.  Did you notice the difference?  With such a simple exercise you can see how your body responds to simple mental input. Imagine that negative input magnified a hundred fold over the course of a day, week or month. 

Coaching helps you to refocus the mind and continually filter input, which affects you.  Coaching is not a quick fix or a magic spell, it takes a certain amount of effort early on and its an on going process to bring about the gradual changes to help you break free from that which holds you back.  Before you undertake to a course or session you need to find out if its for you. Ask the coach for a free no obligation session to see if you get on.  It has to work for both of you, change can’t happen if you are not comfortable with the coach. If the coach is open and honest he/she would welcome your suggestion. 

Coaching is fast becoming the new buzz word in business development and personal enhancement. Some of the greatest athletes and politicians have a personal Life Coach.  Some of the largest companies in the world employ Business Performance coaches to remove blocks from staff, allowing them to operate at peak effectiveness.

If you can change the beliefs of man, he will be able to carry out tasks and feats he never would have dreamed of. Roger Bannister broke the four minute mile, prior to that no one even thought it possible. The following year dozens of athletes also broke the four minute mile. Why? They now believed it was possible.  

So what will coaching do for you?

Well, the question needs to be asked, “What do you want it to do for you?”
Until you have a picture in your mind of the ideal outcome the coach cannot help you build a path to freedom.  Imagine your future is a long dark railway tunnel, the challenge is to get through the darkness to the light at the end of the tunnel.  That is your ultimate goal.  Without stumbling, faltering and possible losing your footing and perhaps even break a leg.  You know where you want to go, but its such a difficult journey right?
Wrong, it doesn’t have to be like that.
A good coach will be able to take your tunnel and illuminate stepping stones with spot lights shinning down from the tunnel roof.  Each time you achieve a smaller goal, or a gain in your life plan, another stepping stone is illuminated.   Eventually you are so far into the tunnel, and so far no injury, the light at the end is now bigger that the light at the end from which you entered.  As your confidence grows you will need less and less aid from the coach.  That’s his/her job done.  You are on the road to self-fulfilment and future success.