Sadly, very few people have the finances to work with a life coach. However, think about this: There are people who would like to work with a personal trainer, but because they cannot afford it decide to put matters into their own hands. Therefore, if it’s possible to take training outside the gym and under your roof, hence it is possible to be your own coach,[1] and achieve something yourself, and do it better. Here is how being your own coach can help you learn more effectively:
Nobody knows your strengths and weaknesses better than you do
Because you are the one who wants to change, you can easily identify areas you know you are weak, and areas you are strong and adjust accordingly. This in turn will help you stay in tune with yourself as well as make honest assessments of where you are, and make the required changes in your own life.
You discover how to become your own motivator
You’ll need to find motivation to get yourself out the door for a workout session, if for example your goal is to lose weight. Not because you have a coach to answer to, but because you made the decision. By motivating yourself, you will discover that the dependency on other people to create motivation for you tremendously reduces. This can be very helpful in difficult times when you have just yourself to depend on for that kick.
You know why you chose to achieve your goals
In coaching yourself, you will have to ask the question ‘why?’ Instead of doing something without understanding the purpose, you know the reason for each effort you put in by coaching yourself. By being your own coach, you are better connected to your short-term goals, which will in turn help you realize your long-term objectives, which will in turn help you make the choices you want in your life.
You can take credit for your own success
Getting yourself across the finish line after self-coaching results in great returns, such as a boost in self-confidence and a great feeling of personal fulfilment. This sort of success can also help you deal with other challenges in your own life.
It is free
One definite benefit of self coaching is the fact that it is free. Although definitely worth the cost if you get a coach, doing so can be pricey. By being your own coach and achieving the outcomes you want, you can actually avoid many of these costs, which in turn helps you focus on improving other aspects of your life. This will not only help you learn better, but you would have saved yourself a whole lot of money.
It Can Be Fast
Since you’re not depending on anyone, you can make the process as fast as you want. The nature of coaching is process-based, which usually takes time, particularly when you consider the vital step of getting to know your coach and letting him/her know you. But nobody understands you better than you do, and self-coaching enables you to speed up the process, and eventually you learn more effectively and faster. Finally, accepting your own self is ultimately the most important aspects of being your own coach. While a desire for change may begin our self-coaching endeavours, the inability to embrace as well as love ourselves—today, as we are, with our imperfections intact—condemns us to never-ending cycle of discontent. Let’s break that.
