If you have tried and tested many forms of personal development and coaching and failed to find something that feels right for you, one alternative is to inspire yourself and then pass on that knowledge to others. Anna Martin, 45, from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, did just that and now helps others overcome hurdles she experienced and overcame.
Avid Learning
“I am an avid learner so I am always intrigued to explore new avenues of personal insight. Unfortunately most of my exploration failed to find any form of coaching that helped me with the difficulties I was experiencing in my personal life. The term coaching is synonymous with career focus and the setting and achieving of goals, which I feel isn’t what most people want from the coaching experience.”
Mother-of-two Anna enrolled on a correspondence Coaching course, which took her six months to complete. Alongside this she also expanded her skills to incorporate many forms of alternative healing, including past life regression and future life progression. Being self taught means that her coaching approach is grounded in personal life experience and not simply from the practice of delivering a tested formula. Her clients are from all walks of life and present issues that may focus on relationships, emotional issues, parenting, career, addiction and dependency, and the general sense and pressure of feeling stuck.
Stepping Out Of The Comfort Zone
By working intuitively Anna is able to tailor each coaching session to the individual needs of a client. This allows flexibility of thought and provides the client with an open space for expression and contribution. It also means that clients are gently eased out of their comfort zone.
“Many Life coaches are hesitant in offering a service beyond the comfort zone of their knowledge. What they sometimes fail to realise is that the client is a person dealing with issues like the rest of us. When you understand that you are able to offer coaching on a far more compassionate level and this makes all the difference.”
Choosing The Right Course
Besides correspondence courses there are many other learning options available to individuals interested in exploring their own self-development, or perhaps learning a new career skill. There are residential Life Coaching courses, intensive weekend courses and a slower pace of learning which may require a longer block of time and a shelf full of books. The value of taking a course yourself is that you will be able to work through many of your own personal issues and understand the importance of the coaching process. To gain the best results however, you must be willing to be critical of yourself and your limiting beliefs and keen to examine every aspect of your personal issues and life.
“Becoming your own coach isn’t an easy option, but it is satisfying and teaches you more about yourself than you would learn in any other form. By getting a better understanding of yourself, and using your own experiences as supportive learning, you can transform your life beyond what you may have initially imagined possible.
“I coached myself simply because I had confidence in my own ability to understand my issues and how to move beyond them. Self-coaching isn’t for everyone but for those who decide to embark on the learning journey it will be worth all the emotional and mental effort required.”