People spend hundreds of dollars hiring life coaches to help them turn their family lives, careers and health around and retake control of their futures. But who knows your strengths and weaknesses best? Who knows, better than anyone else, the ingredients that you need for a healthier, happier and more successful life? You! That’s right – the person best qualified to be your life coach is you, because no one understands your life better. Here are some coaching exercises to get you started.
- Goal-Setting
The importance of goal-setting cannot be overstated. Too many of us meander through life aimlessly, and let our hopes and dreams fall by the wayside. But when you’ve set your goal, you’ll see with greater clarity the steps you need to take to achieve your objectives and muster the determination needed to see your plan through. How can you make your dreams come true unless you know what those dreams are?
Exercise 1 – Imagine a Perfect Life
Imagine you could have any job you wanted. Imagine you could live in any country in the world, meet anyone you wanted, indulge in all your hobbies and passions. What would your life be like? Of course, it may not be possible to fulfill every single detail of your ideal life. Not everyone can be President, or earn billions of dollars. But when you imagine your ideal life, and ask yourself what makes that life an ideal one, you’ll often figure out the things that matter most to you. Be it money, family, creativity or power, identifying your key impulses will help motivate you to make a change in your life.
Exercise 2 – Figuring Out What Matters Most
When you’ve identified the things that mean the most to you, it’s time to make a list. Aim for anywhere between 6 to 12 items. A typical list could look like this.
- Love
- Family
- Career
- Friends
- Money
- Travelling
When you’re done, rank every item from 1 to 5 based on your current life and lifestyle. If you rank “Love” a 1, that means your love life is in the dumps and you haven’t been on a decent date in months. If you rank “Love” a 5, you’ve found your soulmate. You get the idea. The more fulfilled you are in relation to each item on the list, the higher the score you give it. This helps you identify the areas of your life that need work.
- Making it Happen
Now that you know which parts of your life to focus on, it’s time to do something about it. For every item on that list that’s ranked 3 or lower, come up with a specific plan to increase its score. It doesn’t need to be some crazy or expensive plan. Good strategies are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-based). If you want to travel more, start by visiting just one new place next year. If you’re in ill health, commit to jogging just twice a week.
Progress, no matter how small, is still progress, and when you know your goals are achievable, your confidence will improve by leaps and bounds. And as every life coach knows, achieving your goals starts with confidence – a firm, steadfast belief that you can do it!
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