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Get a life coach
Daryl Wood says that life
coaching is not therapy or advice giving.
It’s about unlocking the potential inside you."The truth is that each
and every person I meet has all the creativity and
resources they need to manifest a spectacular life for
themselves." Daryl Wood
Frank Rupnik, Managing Editor
Local news - Owen Sound Sun Times - Tuesday, February 14,
2006
Here we are at the start of another Olympic Games where the
spotlight shines on the world’s best athletes.
One thing’s certain, for every great athlete in Turin,
there’s a dedicated coach or two who’ve helped along the
way.
But what about the rest of us?
Could we benefit from some coaching when it comes to the
all-important game of life?
Is there a Toe Blake out there who can inspire us to lose
weight or a Vince Lombardi who can motivate us to begin a
new career? What about someone to help us realize that the
most important accomplishment may be to slow down and relax?
“When times get tough, the coaches always seem to have
some little nugget to spur athletes on; something that
reflects the accomplishments of the past with an eye on the
future,” Daryl Wood of Tobermory writes on her website.
You see, Wood is a coach too. She’s a personal life coach.
She doesn’t fit the stereotype of someone barking out
orders and arguing nose-to-nose with an official.
Hers is a more gentle approach, where the person receiving
the coaching discovers where they want to go and how they
want to get there themselves.
“Many of us don’t know we have this capacity to excel
and while some of us do know it, we are afraid to exercise
that muscle. That’s where coaches, just like those
supporting Olympic athletes, can play a vital role,” said
Wood.
Wood lives in Tobermory. She ran a business in Mississauga
for 10 years that produced special recognition items such as
plaques which corporations gave employees and customers.
It was successful and still operates, but while she was in
the midst of the fast-paced business world, Wood was also on
a “journey of self discovery” toward something more
peaceful and ultimately more fulfilling.
It was on a shoreline rock near the bed and breakfast she
owns where Wood sat and looked out at the water. She was
pondering the next step in her life and wondered how she’d
cope without the relative security and the opportunities
presented in a bigger city.
“I felt encompassed by the sky and the water,” recalled
Wood. She heard a voice that said “it will all work
out.”
The the bed and breakfast/spiritual retreat is aptly called
Healing Rock Retreat. It was here also that Wood met a
friend who inspired her to become a life coach.
It began with a casual conversation over dinner that really
opened her eyes.
"I thought to myself Hmmm . . . she is listening to me . .
. really listening" . . . I too began listening more
closely to what I said,” recalled Wood.
Wood began researching life coaching. She took in as much
information as she could and is still learning. Wood says
she has always been someone who reached out to help people.
In fact, we’re surrounded by loving people who want to
help. That’s what family and friends are for.
Wood says the difference is that a life coach brings
objectivity to the table. There’s no historical baggage,
no expectations. She says it’s often difficult for family
and friends to keep their agendas out of the discussion.
Wood says a life coach will try to get a client to look at
things from different perspectives.
During coaching, the coach and client talk at regular
intervals to discuss strategies and report on progress
toward goals that have been generated by the client.
Clients may set smaller goals which lead them to a bigger
one. For example, on the day Wood was being interviewed for
this story, she was expecting a call from a man who said he
was going to throw away his television. Spending too much
time in front of the tube was an obstacle for him in
achieving his goals. He’s probably not alone.
This kind of accountability is a powerful tool.
Wood’s website quotes statistics from the American Society
for Training and Development which show the likelihood of a
person completing a goal breaks down as follows:
When they hear an idea, their chance of completing it is 10
per cent
When they consciously decide to adopt an idea, the chance of
completing it is 25 per cent
When they decide when they will do it, it’s 40 per cent
When they plan how they will do it, it’s 50 per cent
When they commit to someone else that they’ll do it 65 per
cent
When they have a specific accountability appointment with
the person they have committed to a whopping 95 per cent
actually complete the goal.
If you Google life coaching on the Internet you’ll find
numerous sites encouraging you to find a life coach, or
sites telling you how to become one.
There are countless personal empowerment theories and
experts out there. It’s become an industry in itself with
the likes of Dr. Phil leading the way. Book shelves are
saturated with authors who say they can show us the way to
happiness and fulfillment.
Frank Furedi, professor of sociology at the University of
Kent in England has problems with this trend. A recent
article in The Observer Magazine quotes him saying
“there’s a growing idea that ordinary human beings lack
the competence and resources to cope with everyday life.”
Wood stresses that life coaching is not therapy which delves
into someone’s past.
She does not give advice on subjects such as how to lose
weight, become rich or plant the perfect garden. There are
experts out there and perhaps seeking their advice may be
one of the steps you must take to achieve your goals.
The main difference with a life coach such as Wood, when
compared with books, seminars and television shows is that
her program is one-on-one.
Most sessions are conducted by phone and Wood says clients
have unlimited e-mail contact with her.
The cost of her services varies. However, she will give
potential clients a 30-minute free coaching session with
some time for feedback and an explanation of the rates and
process.
Wood says life coaching is for people who want to move from
“Gee, I wish, to wow, I did it!”
It may be for you, or maybe it’s not.
But while watching the Olympics this week it became obvious
to me that everyone could use a little coaching now and
then.
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