Working with a career coach or life coach can offer many benefits. Taking this time to focus on yourself, devoting the energy toward your discovery and goals can be very rewarding. Here are just some of the benefits:
Build Confidence in Yourself
How important is confidence in our quest for happiness and fulfillment in our lives? In my past, I had little confidence in myself. I was often fearful to try something new because I was not sure I could do it or worse, I worried about what others might think. I soon began to realize, though, that every time I did something for the first time, stepping into the unknown, it changed me a bit. I felt a little stronger, proud that I had done it. It was as if each new step brought me closer to my realizing my full capacity – a sense of confidence that made me want to do more. This confidence prepared me to make the biggest leap of my life – completely starting my life over again in a new state, new career – without knowing a single person! Confidence is a critical foundation for living our fullest lives and stretching beyond your comfort zone is how you build it…one step at a time!
Overcome Fear and Worry
Mark Twain once said “I have lived a long life and had many troubles, most of which never actually happened” Does that sound familiar? How often do we spend countless hours worrying about what might happen, the “what if’s….” that we let govern our lives? When we spend all of our time worrying and wondering “what if”, we lose sight of what is most important… WHAT IS. We all know that most of our worries never come true, for when we actually try something we were fearful of what happens? We realize that it was easier than we thought it would be, better than we thought… When we step away from the comfort of what is known, fear will come up – it is our bodies way of reacting to the unknown – but when we move past the fear and accomplish what we set out to, something wonderful happens – we realize that we CAN do it! This powerful realization we experience every time we stretch out of our comfort zone, when we experience it again and again, helps diminish the fear and worry that we carry around each day.
Discover New Passions
How often do we assume we aren’t good at something simply because you’ve never tried it before? Here is Meri’s story: “One day a good friend of mine asked if I wanted to come to her house to make ornaments for Christmas. She was an artist and loved everything creative. I immediately told her I was not very creative, saying ‘oh…I can’t draw very well and I’ve never painted or done any kind of crafts.’ She encouraged me to come anyway and would help me make some ‘easy’ ornaments. So I went. I remember feeling a bit nervous because I thought I would make a fool out of myself envisioning tacky ornaments that a preschooler could make better. The first painting project didn’t go so well for any of us, but the second project turned out wonderful! They were very beautiful and I couldn’t believe that I made them and that it was so much fun. I realized in this one evening that I actually AM creative I just never tried anything before to figure it out. I started to do different ornaments for Christmas, I made my friends personalized journals, I made coasters, and even made my wedding invitations. I really love doing crafts now and love going into the craft store and looking at all the creative possibilities. This is something I would have never discovered if I had not stepped into the unknown a bit to try something new“.
Get Better Results from your Job Search Efforts
Searching for a job can feel like a job itself – often one that is not fun, especially when you are not getting results from all of the hard work you are putting in. What if you can get better results, make better use of your time and energy in your search? In working together, my clients learn how to write resumes that get them noticed, craft their verbal message so they ace interviews (and have more effective informational interviews), and create a strategy for their search that fits the roles they are seeking to accelerate their progress.
Be More Engaged in Your Life
How often do we move through life watching, from the sidelines, others playing, active, exploring, experiencing…? How often do we long to be engaged in some of these fun activities – but we hold back because we don’t know how to do it, or it doesn’t seem safe, or possible? What would it be like to let go of the trepidation holding us back, to take that first step out of our comfort zone and try something new… maybe a sport, or dancing, painting, singing… Recently I tried canoeing for the first time, and though I had no idea how to do it, and had some fear around that, I had more fun and laughs (especially when I catapulted my husband into the water as I struggled to get back in to it) than I ever thought I would! How much fun do you want to have? It’s yours, for the taking, you just have to want it – so take your first step out of your comfort zone today and experience more fun in your life!
Live Your Life to the Fullest
How often do we go about our lives in a rut, moving through each day just as we did the last, in a veil of contentment or complacency? A hearwarming movie that brought up the importance of living our ives to the fullest is “Last Holiday”. In it the character of Georgia Byrd looks longingly through her book of Possibilities; images, and words that she has collected through her life representing all that she wants for herself, all of her “someday’s”. Everything changes the day she learns she has 3 weeks to live. At that moment, she decides to spend her savings living some of her “somedays” and takes a wonderful “last holiday” abroad in a beautiful magical place, finally letting her true self, her desires and possibilities emerge. When she does this, an amazing thing happens, not only does her life become richer than she ever imagined, the lives of those she connects with are changed forever as well, for she awakened in them the same sense of truly LIVING our lives to the fullest!
Continue to Grow
You may remember a movie called Pleasantville. The characters lived in a small community bound by routines and beliefs that were known and accepted by everyone. They never deviated from this norm, they never even knew anything else existed beyond the streets of their perfect town, this perfect comfort zone. That is until one day, two characters appeared from another place and brought with them new knowledge, ideas and practices. As this new information was introduced, everything began to change, people began to question, to see, to experience…. While this was very uncomfortable for many at first, as many of their family and friends who did not want change were opposing these changes they were seeing, the tremendous growth of this small town and its’ people was vivid and powerful. Remember, growth happens every time you venture our of your comfort zone and experience new activities, “try on” new ideas, and learn new knowledge.