Coaching, in its modern format, has been around since the late 1990s People still think of it as something new, but in reality, Coaching has been around for millennia. There has never been a period in mankind story where Coaches did not exist.
Sure, it might have looked a little different, but Coaching is as old as the hills. Modern day Coaching may be more refined and a lot more commercially viable, but the principles remain the same.
What Does a Coach Do?
Coaches have the skills and knowledge to advise, support, and encourage their client.
They help them to:
- Make sound decisions.
- Take effective actions.
- Resolve their challenges in the most efficient way possible.
- Learn from the process, so they can repeat it whenever they want.
A coach also has the ability to remain detached from the issues at hand.
Consider the wise words of Albert Einstein:
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
Time Is Money
In the modern era, in life and business, time is money. There is an ever-increasing amount of cooperation and collaboration going on both in businesses and in peoples private lives. We need to figure things out almost on the fly these days while dealing with different time zones and cultures.
Everyone has their own unique issues to handle alongside everything else that needs to be accommodated, and then there’s the technology we all use to connect with everybody and everything.
Life is definitely more complex today and it certainly seems to be speeding up every time you turn around. It doesn’t take long before we begin to have thoughts of overwhelm and burnout on our minds.
The question we need to ask ourselves is this: How long can I justify spending time and money on this issue trying to figure it out for myself, knowing what Albert Einstein said about problem solving?
If having a Coach could save you time and money, it would be ridiculous NOT to hire one, wouldn’t it?
Throughout history, every King has had an Advisor (Coach) in every culture. Every military leader has had a Strategist (Coach), every World Class Athlete has had a trainer (Coach), and every Entertainer has had a Manager (Coach).
Who Hires a Coach?
The only conclusion we can draw from the history of Coaching is that the people who hire a Coach fall into two camps:
- People who are at the top of their game and want to stay there.
- People who aspire to be at the top of their game and want to get there as fast as they can.
Many people will say that they want to change themselves, their life, their job, or their circumstances, but in real terms, they are fearful of change. They delay, procrastinate, and make excuses. They lack self-confidence and the drive to follow through. It is human nature and it’s what ordinary people always do.
People who hire a Coach are not ordinary people.
They are inspired and have vision. They embrace change and are prepared to get fully engaged in making positive changes in their life. Plus, they don’t want it to take forever!
They have a sense of urgency, and they want someone they can lean on, confide in, use as a sounding board, and rely on to help them make the inevitable tough decisions that they can see on the horizon.
People hiring their first Coach are often racked with pessimism. They think, What if I waste my money?
Consider that, before you hire a coach, you are already wasting time, which is the same as money, and you lack the resources to resolve the issues at hand. It would cost you less to hire a Coach and find out first-hand and NOW how unbelievably useful a Coach can be.
People who are hiring their second or subsequent Coach have no pessimism. What they are looking for is the perfect fit for them and the circumstances they find themselves in.
Within reason, money is not the issue and they never think about the possibility of wasting it. Their main concern is finding the RIGHT Coach and then hoping that the Coach they choose has a spot left open where they can be accommodated, and can they start today?
Is Hiring a Coach Right For You?
Maybe. Maybe not.
Are you at a point where NOT taking action is costing you time and money?
Do you feel stuck in your struggles?
Could you use encouragement and sage advice in moving forward?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, perhaps a coach can get you moving in the right direction to help you create the life you desire – and sooner rather than later.
I can tell you personally that a life coach is a great way to check in with yourself and to keep the momentum moving towards the places that you want to be. I tried out a few coaches before I found the right one. For me, I really appreciated that my coach would take notes during our session and share them with me at the end. This helped me to stay in the flow of working out the directions I wanted to go, without having to slow down to take notes to make sure I remembered it all.
I am so glad you mentioned note-taking! It is so important to have a coach that can help you quantify your actions. When we measure our progress, we can then recognize our results more appropriately. Note-taking allows coaches to collect data or make notes of certain behaviors and words that might be creating a pattern in your life … So glad to get your insight on this. Thank you!
Back in 2017, I was a coach for my old high school. I was a soccer coach in fact and I absolutely loved it. You learn a lot from your players and they learn a lot from you too. You are basically a mentor. I believe that everyone should have some type of coach in their life, especially in their niche.
What great insight! I honestly believe coaching is the best investment you can make in yourself in regard to self-development. So many people know the strategy or know a lot about an area and fail to apply it to their lives because they lake the mentorship/coaching relationship that holds them to the next level standard.
Hi Rachel. Thank you very much for including Albert Einstein’s quote. I have been making up my mind. And it was not easy to decide between hiring a coach or trying to solve the problems on my own. However, Einstein’s view has made me incline the balance towards a coach. It’s better to spend money than to waste our time.
Exactly- you can always make more money… you can never gain back time 🙂 so glad you picked up on that. All the best.
I have a lot of experience with coaches, so I know how vital they can be no matter what you are being coached for. And it is always good to find one that is experienced and good at coaching whatever it is you need help with. My son did competitive gymnastics for 16 years at a very high level, and good coaches was a must, and you do pay for the best coaches, but well worth it.
You are so on point and I do believe a good coach is worth their weight in gold if they get you to where you need to be.
Coaching is one of those things that a lot of people aren’t sure about. Although most of the world’s most successful people – from athletes to business people – have coaches to accelerate their success, you might still wonder how relevant a coach would be to your everyday life. What do coaches actually do, and how can they help you achieve your life’s goals? That’s the big question that was awnsered in this article and once you know that then your know your not going to be wasting money.
I love your insight on this. It is such a time and money saver when you have the right coach helping you through your journey. We forget how social we are as creatures and how distractable we become with all the noise and stimulation out there- fighting for our attention constantly. Coaches can help eliminate that- or at the very least help you prioritize your day more effectively.
Hi Rachel,
Thank you for this very informative and inspiring article on Why Would You Want To Hire A Coach? I love the quote by Albert Einstein that you referred to – this makes so much sense!! And it truly IS better to spend money to keep from making the same mistakes, and finally get out from under our mistakes and problems. This way, in the long run, we end up saving money AND time! You have given me the final push I needed to move forward and talk to a coach during a very difficult time in our lives. Would you consider a Pastor being a Coach?? Thank you for this awesome article!!
Nettie
Absolutely! Our Pastors and Spiritual leaders are some of the most effective coaches out there. My coach was once a chaplin and she is SO amazing with both mindset and strategy.
I know of a member in WA who is very successful and has made so much money that he is in online business full-time and he also coaches. What I found so amazing is that I was reading one of his training one day and what he said was that he has a coach that helps him. So you are right about how beneficial a coach can be to help you stay on top of your game or to get there.
Thanks Norman! Yes, having a coach to help you cut out all the unnecessary fluff and keeping you laser focused is SO important for progression.
Hello there! This is a great article! Sometimes I feel like coaches are very underrated! I feel like people only think coaches are useful when it comes to sports but I think coaches are needed EVERYWHERE in life especially in adulthood! Many things come up that might be out of our scope and sometimes we take it upon ourselves to figure it all out just because we are the “adult”. However, that can be very stressful so why not seek the advice of someone who has more experience and save a lot of headache! Thanks for this, it really help reminded me that I could use the help of coaches more often.
What a great point of view on coaching! So many still think coaching is limited to athletes. But every high achiever I know has had a mentor or coach help them along the way.
You ask a very important question. If anyone feels they can learn to do anything worthwhile by themselves, in any field, they are fooling themselves. I am not saying you absolutely cannot learn by yourself. However, applying what you learn without a coach can take a very long time using the trial and error method.
When you use the services of a coach, they can significantly shorten the time it takes to become successful in whatever field you want to be. The reason is, they have been through your path and learned from their mistakes as well as others.
Sure, it may cost a little to hire a coach. But the cost is well worth it. If you don’t have the money, save it. Then hire a coach when you can afford it. After you start to earn money, you can use some of that income to scale up your earnings by being coached.
Such good advice!
Hi, Rachel! Interesting post! To be honest I never was thinking about hiring a coach fr something. I always have people who encourage me to do go forward, to chase my dreams and most things are dependent only on me. However, after reading this, I see hiring a coach as a good idea for some people and it can really help them. These days are stuck in my struggles and most, actually, are just in my head. I know that. Of course, who would not need some encouragement to move forward? 🙂 Everybody needs that. Hiring a coach seems a good idea in some cases for sure and it will help, of course. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Thank you for your kind words! It sounds like you are blessed to have a support system in place that works well for you. We all get in our own way more often than not- it’s my job to keep the focus on the big vision and help co-create strategies to get to that big life goal in the most effective way possible.