The main difference between life coaching and life balance coaching is boundaries. In life coaching, we see the possibilities as limitless, without boundaries. However, in life balance coaching, it is necessary to find places to implement some boundaries. Otherwise, what started out as a nice little ride to success can turn into a train wreck.

Use Life Balance Coaching to Reach Your Clients in New Ways

What does a life without boundaries look like to a life balance coaching client? They may work all the time, and have no time for their heath, family or any other interests. They may be successful in one area, but may be teetering on the brink of burnout. Many times life coaching ignores the other aspects of a client’s life until the client brings that issue up.

Life Coaching and Life Balance Coaching: In Some Cases One in the Same

There may be intersection between life balance coaching and life coaching in some cases. I was working with a woman who wanted relationship coaching, but the real issue was that she didn’t have any boundaries. Not with how many hours she worked in the office, how many activities she provided for her children, and not with the responsibilities she took on as a homemaker. A typical life coaching session might have just helped her address the problems and find solutions; hire a housekeeper, work fewer hours, get her husband to start doing more, and take time for herself. But the real issue was about her feeling that she needed to do everything in order to be somewhat acceptable. With that linchpin released, she started allowing herself to have life balance.

Life Coaching Not Enough for Super Achievers

Life balance coaching can be very valuable to high achievers who are so driven by their need to be significant, they loose out on variety and love in their lives. Taking even one day out of their week may be too challenging to follow through, because they are afraid to be insignificant for even one day. One client told me he had wanted to go windsurfing for a few months, but hadn’t started it yet. He was a “make it happen” kind of guy. He was help back by the ‘need’ to be significant every day through his work, and windsurfing might cause him to loose even more significance if he fell into the water and looked ‘bad’. Your average life coaching skills are not enough for these super achievers.

Don’t be afraid to take your life coaching skills to the next level and break through your current boundaries. Look at your clients as a whole, and offer them life balance coaching so when they achieve their goals, they haven’t lost everything that was valuable to them along the way.

Colette Seymann

JST Advisors Designated Accountability Coach