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Why People Don’t Do What Personal Life Coaches Tell Them to Do

May 21, 2012 By 2 Comments

Personal life coaches often give advice – they may not call it advice, and many master coaches advise against calling it advice, but you can’t help giving advice when you coach.

What is advice? Advice is merely knowledge that one person tries to transfer to another. As a coach, you may have plenty of knowledge because of experience and education. You probably have more knowledge on many subjects than your clients. For example, you may have a client who wants to lose weight and learn to live a healthy lifestyle. Life coaches get these clients all the time. Because of your education and experience working with other clients, you will most likely have more knowledge than your client on the subjects of weight lose and healthy lifestyles.

Though you have more knowledge than your client, do clients always accept your knowledge and advice with open arms? Of course not! Why not?

Why Clients Don’t Accept Advice From Personal Life Coaches

One word answer – motivation. Not all clients are motivated. They may say that they are and the checks they write for your services may make it look like they are, but motivation is often elusive. How many people join a gym for their New Year;s Resolution? How many of those people are truly motivated enough to still be going on a regular basis to the gym when March or April rolls around? Probably less than half of them. Those people had a hint of motivation, thought that they were motivated, but were not fully committed to change, and therefore not truly motivated.

Personal life coaches want clients who are truly motivated to change some aspects of their lives. Those clients will remain with you, offer positive testimonials about you, and benefit the most from your personal life coaching. Motivated clients are happy clients, happy clients pay more and bring more referrals to your coaching practice.

How Can Coaches Motivate Their Clients?

Another one word answer – visualization. There are many ways to motivate clients, though much of the motivation starts with the client and has nothing whatsoever to do with coaching. However, visualization may be one of the most important keys to bringing the motivation out in all your clients.

Get clients to visualize their goals. Have them talk about what they see, hear, feel, and even smell when they think of their stated personal goals and objectives. Though the road to happiness, wealth, abundance, emotional joy, career satisfaction, and other potential achievements is often filled with obstacles, having your clients visualize a clear pathway is the start of the visualization process. Once your clients can see obstacles as rocks to be climbed, not boulders blocking the road, they are on their way to true visualization…and true motivation.

Personal life coaches work with clients in all aspects of their lives. They may deal with career, family, relationships, money, health, personal satisfaction, and other issues. Personal life coaches can use the process of visualization for every client who walks through their door. Visualization helps to cultivate motivation, and a motivated client is a satisfied client.

Special Bonus – Learn 3 simple ways to become a life coach with the “30-Days to Become a Coach” video toolkit when you fill in the form at the top right and click the “Watch The Videos Now” button. You’ll learn how to change your client’s life in 45 minutes.

Fred Philips
Business Coach
Writing Team, Coaches Training Blog Community

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Coaching and Positive Psychology Go Great Together!

March 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Coaching and positive psychology go together like peanut butter and jelly, burger and fries, meat and potatoes, champagne and caviar…well, you get the picture. Positive psychology is a natural fit with the coaching profession.

What is Positive Psychology?

Positive psychology is a dynamic field that is concerned with the scientific study of the strengths, capabilities, and virtues that allow individuals, communities, and societies to thrive. Coaching and positive psychology are aligned and similar- both fields assume that people are resourceful, inspired, and motivated to improve and grow.

Abraham Maslow first used the phrase “positive psychology” in 1954, in an attempt to push the field of psychology to focus on human potential as much as it focused on human shortcomings. Traditional psychology had always concentrated on pathology and utilized empirically and clinically valid techniques and methods for treating problems.

The term was later used by Martin Seligman in 1998 when he assumed the leadership of the American Psychological Association. Seligman wanted to focus psychological research on exploring human strengths and potential instead of concentrating on human deficiencies and weaknesses and how to alleviate them.

How Does Coaching and Positive Psychology Help Your Clients?

Clients seek out and hire coaches for a wide range of reasons, but the number one reason, which is beneath all the other stated reasons, is to increase an overall sense of happiness. Whether it be for career, financial, weight loss, or some other type of success, happiness is the underlying motivation for most clients to seek out coaches.

Positive psychology can provide important and effective strategies, techniques, and exercises that coaches can use to help their clients achieve their goals and move toward their pursuit of happiness. Coaching and positive psychological methods can be utilized to help coaches work with their clients to identify their strengths and talents and how best to use these qualities to achieve success and happiness.

Are the Benefits of Coaching and Positive Psychology Real?

Dam straight they are! Research has shown that positive psychology can definitely raise a client’s level of happiness…and there are many benefits to being happier. Happier people tend to live longer, enjoy better health, are more productive, are more creative, and have more rewarding close friendships. Oh, one more thing – they tend to achieve greater levels of success. After learning all this – do you think you might want to incorporate some techniques and strategies developed from the theories in coaching and positive psychology? I would certainly think so!

How to Quickly Begin Using Positive Psychology in Your Coaching Practice

  1. Read as many good sources as you can on positive psychology. Books, websites, papers – all will help get you up to speed on this exciting field.
  2. Begin using valid measurement tools. Some good tools can be found on happier.com and authentichappiness.com (the homepage of Dr. Martin Seligman).
  3. Begin using the methods you have learned with your clients.
  4. Record how your clients react to your new techniques and measure the level of success.

Coaching and positive psychology merge two fields that seek to help individuals achieve happiness and success. By blending these two fields in your coaching practice, you will have positive tools to help your clients ameliorate their lives and reach their goals and dreams. Helping clients is the reason you entered this profession, right? Well, positive psychology just increases your chances of helping more people and definitely makes you a better coach!

By the way… you’re invited to claim your FREE step-by-step “Master Coach Blueprint” video toolkit. Just go HERE now to get your master coach blueprint videos.

Fred Philips
Business Coach
Writing Team, Coaches Training Blog Community

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More of the Best Life Coach Books

March 3, 2012 By 1 Comment

Last month I posted about the top five life coach books. Here’s a continuation of that post with the next best life coach books. Life coach books offer additional training and knowledge for the dedicated life coach and serve as a great way to supplement the information needed to be a outstanding coach.

These two life coaching book lists are not inclusive and not necessarily in any particular order. All of these books are extremely well-written and informative. Here are my selections as the next five top life coach books.

More of the Best Life Coach Books

Co-Active Coaching: New Skills for Coaching People Toward Success in Work and Life by Laura Whitworth

This is a great book to have on your shelf to use for new ideas and as a reference tool. It has many ideas and concepts from pioneers in the coaching industry. The book contains four main parts: coaching fundamentals, co-active coaching skills, co-active coaching processes, and coach’s toolkit. The models in this book concerns both the coach and the client and works with the whole person to achieve goals. The toolkit is a comprehensive collections of exercises, tools, and resources for the coach.

Coaching for Performance: Growing Human Potential and Purpose – The Principles and Practice of Coaching and Leadership by John Whitmore

This book talks about a way to manage people, treat people, and think about people. The book is concerned with the relationship between coaching and performance. It provides the reader with examples of performance achievement from sports and business. This book has been around for some time and is currently in its 4th edition. The author gives us his G R O W model of coaching individuals – Goal, Reality, Option, Will.

Leadership Coaching: The Disciplines, Skills, and Heart of a Christian Coach, by Tony Stoltzfus

Written by a leading Christian coach, this book contains examples, exercises, applications, and real-life stories to help you become a better Christian life coach. Part One explores the intersection of coaching and the principles of God and faith, while Part Two offers an interactive method of coaching that will help you in your practice. Though it is a book based on Christian values, it is beneficial for all coaches.

Coaching: Evoking Excellence in Others by James Flaherty

This informative book is filled with questions that will help coaches understand people before coaching them. Coaching is about giving people the opportunity and tools to understand what they are doing; it is not about telling clients what they need to do. It is a book filled with practical and useful tips for professional coaches.

Four Steps To Building A Profitable Coaching Practice: A Complete Marketing Resource Guide for Coaches by Deborah Brown-Volkman

Last but certainly not least on this list, is a book about the business of coaching. As coaches, our primary reason for being a coach is to help people. However, if we don’t make enough money, our coaching practice won’t survive and we will no longer be able to help people achieve their goals and dreams. This book shows you how to create, build, and market a successful and profitable coaching practice in four steps. It is a short book, but don’t let the size fool you; it is packed with valuable and useful information.

Picking up these life coach books and using them as reference material will boost your coaching ability and increase the viability of your practice. Don’t hesitate, these life coach books will make you a better coach!

By the way… you’re invited to claim your FREE step-by-step “30-Days to Become a Coach” video toolkit. Just go HERE now to get your30-day coaching blueprint videos.

Fred Philips
Business Coach
Writing Team, Coaches Training Blog Community

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What is the Definition of Coaching?

February 13, 2012 By 1 Comment

Whether you are a potential coach or a potential client, it is good to have a clear definition of coaching. To come up with a good definition of coaching, it helps to know what coaching isn’t.

What Coaching Isn’t

Coaching isn’t consulting. Consultants often have experience in one specific area and are hired to solve a problem in that certain area. Consulting is specific while coaching can be both general and specific. Consulting is narrow; coaching is broad. Consulting is restricted; coaching is unconfined.

Coaching is sometimes similar to mentoring, but not quite. Being a mentor is more like being a teacher; a mentor-student relationship is very similar to a teacher-student relationship, which is not the same as a coach-client relationship. A coach-client relationship is more balanced and coequal than that of a teacher and student.

Coaching is definitely not therapy. Though it may seem like it with certain needy clients, a definition of coaching does not include being a therapist. The use of psychology in your practice is not uncommon, but therapy is not what you do as a coach! If your clients want therapy, tell them to look elsewhere!

What Coaching Is

There are many possible definitions of coaching, and it may mean different things to different people. However, to better understand the definition of coaching, it is good to see what the two primary governing coaching bodies have to say about defining their profession.

To paraphrase the ICF (International Coaching Federation) definition, coaching is partnering with your clients to inspire and motivate them to maximize their professional and personal potential.

To paraphrase the ICA (International Coach Academy), the definition of coaching is a collaboration between the coach and the client to help clarify their values and achieve their goals. The ultimate goal is to help the client achieve a fulfilling life.

From these definitions, we can conclude that coaching can be defined as:

  • a collaboration between client and coach to create roadmaps and strategies for success in a client’s professional and personal life.
  • a method of motivating and inspiring clients to identify, clarify, and achieve their goals.
  • a tool to help clients create a life or career plan that promotes success, health, and happiness.

One Powerful Definition of Coaching

Therapy and counseling often look to the past to find issues and problems. Once the problems are identified, therapists and counselors attempt to understand and heal these issues. However, coaching looks to the future to make someone’s life better and more fulfilling. Coaching begins with a client’s desire for personal and professional improvement and success. Coaching is not about why clients got to where they are; it is about how to get them from their current place to the place they desire to be in the future. Unlike consulting and therapy, which often looks backward and is reactive, coaching is forward thinking and proactive.

One More Definition of Coaching

Coaching is belief, tools, and leadership. Coaching starts with belief; belief that people can solve their own issues and ameliorate their life if given the right guidance and tools. Once these tools are presented, the coach uses leadership skills to help the client correctly use and apply them. Belief, tools, and leadership – that’s coaching!

By the way… you’re invited to claim your FREE step-by-step “Master Coach Blueprint” video toolkit. Just go HERE now to get your master coach blueprint videos.

Fred Philips
Business Coach
Writing Team, Coaches Training Blog Community

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How to Take Away The Fear Of Becoming A Psychology Life Coach

February 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

What is the difference between a psychology life coach and a psychologist? The main difference is the university degree and credentials that a psychologist has to earn before using the title. Unless you have the credentials, you don’t want people to think you are a psychologist unless you want to get in major trouble with the law. There is a place for psychology life coaches, and without understanding human psychology.

3 Keys to Success as a Psychology Life Coach

  1. Understanding What People Want: Understanding that people are motivated to fulfill their needs is key to motivating people to take action. People need certainty, variety, significance and love or connection to survive. Without getting enough certainty in their lives, a good psychology life coach understand the primary emotion clients will experience is fear. Psychology life coaching can be a good vehicle to getting more certainty. When people are getting these needs met at a high level they start looking to fulfill their needs for growth and contribution.
  2. Recognizing What Is Holding People Back: Unless someone is just moving effortlessly toward their goals, something is probably holding them back from achieving it or at least slowing their progress. With good a psychology life coach, people can overcome obstacles a lot more quickly. What really holds people back is not usually what they think it is, otherwise they would deal with it. Most of the time what holds people back is the perception that they might get one or more of their basic needs met at a lower level if they take action. For example, someone might not take action because of lack of certainty; which takes the form of fear. This fear might be about lack financial funds or loss of funds, not knowing what to do, or any other fear of risking what they already have. Someone else might not take action because he fears a loss of getting his need for significance met and looking “bad” if he fails. If this person believes he has to be significant to deserve love and connection, he may even lose love or connection because he goes into the cave and hides from others.
  3. Finding Empowering Alternatives: The main difference between a psychologist and a psychology life coach is getting people to move powerfully ahead toward their goals. Even if someone believes that she is stuck, taking a single step forward means that she is now taking action and no longer stuck. Seeing things from a different perspective or understanding what believes are holding someone back is not enough to transform someone’s life. For a true breakthrough to happen, there has to be more than talk.

Do Psychologists Have The Upper Hand Psychology Life Coaching?

Psychologists make have more education, but don’t let that stop from making a difference in someone’s life. You don’t need to be able to be an expert in abnormal psychology to help people move forward toward living the life of their dreams.

By the way… you’re invited to claim your FREE step-by-step “Master Coach Blueprint” video toolkit. Just go HERE now to get yourmaster coach blueprint videos.

Colette Seymann
JTS Advisors Designated Accountability Coach

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What are Holistic Personal Coaches?

January 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Holistic personal coaches occupy a growing niche in the coaching industry. As people become more health conscious, a holistic approach to life becomes more appealing. For many people, the services of a holistic personal coach can help them find a balance in life.

Holistic personal coaches work with clients on a variety of different levels and seek to find the balance between these levels. They analyze, assess, and ameliorate a client’s personal life, career, physical health, and mental health on three principal levels.

The 3 Levels of Holistic Health

  • Mind
  • Body
  • Spirit

People who lead busy lives, attempting to balance work, family, community, finances, and leisure activities, often find that their lives become unbalanced. Too often one aspect becomes far more predominant and other segments are left wanting. Holistic personal coaches can help bring balance back into your life and teach you ways to maintain that balance.

Imbalances can lead to problem in one’s career, relationships, and mental health. We have all felt stress at one time or another, but when stress becomes a daily issue, it may be time to get your life back in balance. Pursuing a healthy, holistic life is one of the best ways to achieve balance and health. A coach help you guide to a holistic way of life.

What Can Holistic Personal Coaches Do For Their Clients?

  • Work on building a healthy BODY by teaching the value of proper nutrition and exercise. Teach ways to understand BODY acceptance that is balanced with healthy living and self-esteem.
  • Help teach ways to reduce stress and clear the MIND of daily clutter. Create goals that stimulate the MIND and design a roadmap to reach those goals. Design strategies that help with personal issues, traumas, and emergencies.
  • Help clients understand the SPIRIT of life. Whether it is a belief in god, nature, or the community of man, balance is often achieved through the recognition of some higher power.

Holistic basically means to emphasize and recognize the functional and organic relationship between the parts and the whole. It helps to create a balanced and functional “whole.”

How Holistic Coaches Can Help Clients

  • Help find and embrace a life purpose
  • Teach ways to attract and nurture positive relationships
  • Design strategies to help create more time and help life stay in balance.
  • Work with clients to help build their self-confidence and their self-esteem.
  • Help clients find their inner child by discovering passion and joy that may have been lost over the years.
  • Help identify obstacles and roadblocks to success.
  • Create a roadmap from which clients can become “whole.”

As a coach, it, it can be more profitable to find a specific niche in the coaching field. Holistic personal coaches occupy one of those niches. Being the proverbial big fish in a little pond can help boost your professional recognition and your profits. If you are passionate about achieving health, harmony, and balance in life, this might be the perfect niche for you.

By the way… you’re invited to claim your FREE step-by-step “Master Coach Blueprint” video toolkit. Just go HERE  now to get yourmaster coach blueprint videos.

Fred Philips
Business Coach
Writing Team, Coaches Training Blog Community

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5 Secrets to Starting a Life Coaching Practice

January 15, 2012 By 1 Comment

Thinking of starting a life coaching practice? There is no time like the present to get started on a new career. Whether you are already a coach in a different field, or still on the sidelines, this is a great time to take the plunge!

The economy stinks, but the coaching business continues to grow and provide opportunities for qualified people to start a coaching practice. According to one an article in the Sydney Morning Herald, personal life coaching in the United States was the second fastest growth industry after IT.

There are an estimated 40,000 practicing coaches in 70 countries and the coaching industry continues to grow at a rate of 20% per year. Sound like an industry you want to join?

Though the field is rife with opportunities, starting a life coaching practice is just like starting any other business – it takes hard work, patience, persistence, and a high tolerance for frustration. But, it can also be rewarding and profitable. Before you take the plunge, here are a few helpful hints.

5 Secrets to Starting a Life Coaching Practice

  1. Don’t believe the hype! You’ve probably seen seductive ads or articles about the coaching profession. How you can earn big money by helping people. Well, the truth is…you can earn big money while helping people. However, it takes time and effort. Plenty of time and effort. The ads make it seem as if you can start calling yourself a coach and the money will begin to flow. Some coaches make good money, some coaches are broke. Some who get trained, do very well, others should probably find another career. It is what you make of it!
  2. Coaching is a business and you are an entrepreneur. Starting a life coaching practice is basically the same as opening a restaurant or any small business. You need to think and act like an entrepreneur. You have to create a business plan, determine cash flow, research, create and implement marketing strategies, and organize all legal aspects of your business. Just like any other business.
  3. Be committed. Some people start out their coaching careers as a side venture; it is possible to do that. However, the best path to success is to devote yourself to the coaching profession and your coaching practice. Though the coaching industry is still a growing field, and the demand for coaches continues to increase, the competition is becoming fierce as more and more people enter the field. Passion, devotion, and commitment are the ways to stay ahead of the competition when starting a life coaching practice.
  4. Get the best coaching and training. Yes, it counts. In a competitive field, you need the credentials to sell yourself to potential clients. When deciding on training and certification programs, do NOT cut corners. The most expensive programs are not necessarily the best, but the cheapest are definitely not worth it! Do diligent research on a program’s competency standards, get feedback from former students, search the Internet for testimonials and reviews. A good place to start your search is on the ICF (International Coach Federation) website at www.coachfederation.org.
  5. Look for a niche. Specializing in a specific field within the coaching industry may be one of the most important keys to success. There are literally hundreds of different niches within the coaching industry. Don’t just be a life coach – be a working mom’s life coach. Don’t just be a weight loss coach – be a weight loss coach for people with diabetes. Don’t just be a business coach – be a business coach for small online businesses. Find a niche with which you have knowledge and then become an expert in that niche. Being that proverbial big fish in the small pond is much better than the other way.

If you are starting a life coaching practice, use these secrets to get started on the right foot. And let me be the first to welcome you to the coaching profession!

By the way… you’re invited to claim your FREE step-by-step “30-Days to Become a Coach” video toolkit. Just go HERE now to get your30-day coaching blueprint videos.

Fred Philips
Business Coach
Writing Team, Coaches Training Blog Community

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Life Coaching Tools: 12 Life Assessment Areas

January 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

In your coaching practice, having a variety of effective life coaching tools at your fingertips can help you determine potential strengths, weakness, and vulnerabilities of your clients. These tools can be used as a starting point when working with a new client and as a way to initiate communication.

One of the best life coaching tools to use is a listing of the various areas of a client’s life that can be assessed, analyzed, evaluated, and ameliorated. Each area can be rated and then the areas that seem to be problems can be prioritized during sessions.

Life coaching tools are essential aids in any successful practice. This list can be amended, edited, and manipulated to fit your particular practice and the needs of individual clients. This is not only one of the most versatile life coaching tools, it is also one of the most effective and easiest to use.

Life Coaching Tools: 12 Life Assessment Areas

  1.  Body
  2. Health
  3. Self Perception
  4. Character Traits
  5. Relationships (Marriage/Lovers, etc)
  6. Relationships (Friends)
  7. Community
  8. Career/Work
  9. Fun, Recreation, and Travel
  10. Spirituality
  11. Education, and Continued Learning
  12. Time

To use these areas as an effective life coaching tool, you would ask clients to describe each area of their lives according to the following scenarios.

  1. Their life as it is today.
  2. Their ideal life.
  3. What prevents them from having an ideal life.
  4. What can they do to make their life ideal.

They would rate each of the 12 life assessment areas, utilizing the four client descriptions. It may be difficult to go over all 12 areas in one sessions, so it might be best to separate them into two or three different sessions.

Though you can select any rating scale you like, this is a good example of a simple yet effective rating scale that will provide you with some insight into the mind of the client.:

5. Life is perfect in this area.

4. Good. Can’t complain. Very satisfactory.

3. Satisfactory. Client can easily see that there is room for improvement, but feels no pressing need to improve.

2. Needs improvement. Client feels that this is one of the weak areas in life.

1. Bad. Client feels that this area is a mess, perhaps even hopeless.

Obviously, this rating scale is subjective and open to interpolation, and it is up to you, the life coach, to create parameters for your clients so they can effectively and properly categorize their life areas.

There are many life coaching tools that can be used when assessing clients. This list and rating scale is one of the better starting points in a coach/client relationship. It gives the coach a good method of categorizing and assessing what a client may want or need from coaching. It provides the client with the perfect opportunity to begin essential communication with the coach.

Special Bonus – Learn 32 ‘Guru’ Transformation Techniques when you fill in the form at the top right and click the “Watch The Videos Now” button. You’ll learn how to become a life coach in 30 days.

Fred Philips
Business Coach
Writing Team, Coaches Training Blog Community

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Coaching Arguments: Should Personal Coaches Push Or Pull?

January 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

One of the biggest coaching debates is whether personal coaches should push or pull their clients. In one camp, there are the directive personal coaches who say clients need to be held accountable to tasks in order to transform their lives. In the other camp, a non-directional personal coach view says that Freudian listening will help you gain access to the inner challenges your clients face.

Personal Coaches Fighting? Why Can’t We All Be Friends?

Silly as it sounds, there are a lot of personal coaches who are so passionate and committed to their form they just can’t agree. And given that these two styles tend to appeal to two different behavior styles, there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. For example, a personal coach who is non-directive probably is less likely to confront people in general. This coach exudes more feminine energy than the more directive Patton type or drill sergeant coach who prefers a much more directive style. I imagine that if Star Trek’s Deanna Troi, who used her skill of extra-sensory empathy as the ship’s counselor.

Let’s face it, not every coach has the same skills. If someone who was more of a Patton type tried to use Freudian listening on his clients, he would most likely lack the patience to wait for the client to get to the point, interrupt, and eventually just bellow out some orders. In a role as an accountability coach, you could easily imagine that clients would be more afraid to report back that they broke their commitments to this type of figure than they would be facing most other fears.
The non-directive style of personal coaches would have a rather tough time holding anyone accountable to tasks. A client could easily talk around a circle and evade questions about lack of follow through for an entire session, avoiding anything like even the slightest slap of the wrists.

Whose Side Are You On?

Enough bad-mouthing of the non-directive personal coaches of the world. These coaches actually can transform clients’ lives in a single session, driving them to do things they wouldn’t have done just before the session. This is one of the highest levels of skill a coach can aspire to. For some personal coaches it’s natural, and other coaches may struggle for years without ever achieving other than the lowest levels of mastery. The great news is that with proper training, practice with feedback, and desire, mastery in either of these areas is possible. In fact, the coaches I feel are the best in the world are flexible enough to use both directive and non-directive coaching styles within a single coaching level to achieve results that would be improbable with only one style.

By the way… you’re invited to claim your FREE step-by-step “Life Coaching Business Blueprint” video toolkit. Just go HERE now to get yourlife coaching business blueprint videos.

Colette Seymann
JTS Advisors Designated Accountability Coach

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Live Your Life Like a Dog: Life Lessons From a Personal Coach

January 10, 2012 By 2 Comments

A personal coach can give you lessons on living life to the fullest by teaching you to live like a dog. That’s right, one of the keys to a satisfying life is to learn from man‘s best friend!.

What can a personal coach teach us about a dog’s life that will help us live our lives to the fullest? Well, you would be surprised how much we can learn from our faithful companions. Dogs can teach us humans the right way to live!

6 Life Lessons From a Dog: The Perspective of a Personal Coach

  1. Clean Your Plate. One of the best things you can do for your financial health is to clean your plate. The more food your throw out, the more money you waste. In these difficult economic times, wasting money is definitely not a good thing! Rover knows what’s good for him and a good coach will tell you to take the hint. Cleaning your plate is also a metaphor for finishing what you start and living life to its fullest…until the very end.
  2. Take naps. Napping is good for your body and heart. Don’t you envy how your dog can just lie down on the floor and fall fast asleep? You should try it. Take some advice from a personal coach; napping rejuvenates and replenishes. Napping recharges your batteries and allows you to face the remainder of the day with more energy. Your dog knows best!
  3. Find something you enjoy and do it over and over again. This can apply to a career or a hobby. A dog will play Frisbee, chase after other dogs, or chew on a bone for hours on end; he or she is doing something they love. If you can find a career, hobby, or recreational activity you enjoy doing; do it over and over again. Just like your dog!
  4. Speak up when things aren’t right. Learn to bark…just like Rover. When Rover asks for something, he barks. When he wants to go somewhere, he barks. Learn to be assertive and get what you want in life. Sometimes all you have to do is ask!
  5. Learn to love to walk. Dogs love to go on walks and so should you. Every form of exercise is beneficial, but as we age, the choices we have are sometimes limited due to injuries, physical limitations, and time. But, movement keeps us healthy and one of the healthiest ways to move is to walk. Walking is good for weight management, cardiovascular health, and keeps us feeling young. Take a walk with your dog and enjoy life!
  6. Drink plenty of water. Dog’s don’t drink soda or other flavored drinks. They drink pure water, and we should, too! When they’re thirsty they drink plenty of water and humans should follow their lead. Everyone’s knows water is good for them, but they sometimes fail to get enough of it. Dogs don’t even understand how good water is for them, and they drink plenty! Be like your dog – drink plenty of water!

As a personal coach, you can take lessons from a dog’s life and use them to show your clients habits that will benefit them for their entire lives. A dog instinctively knows best, and a personal coach can use their instincts to truly help clients achieve happiness, good health, and success. That’s right, take it from a personal coach’s best friend; life is meant to be lived like a dog!

Give this strategy a try and see for yourself that it works. If you liked this coaching tip, leave a comment or use the handy bookmark buttons below to share it with others on Facebook, Twitter, Digg, etc. Thanks!

Fred Philips
Business Coach
Writing Team, Coaches Training Blog Community

 

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