Is coaching good value for money?

It is often so easy to be wise with hindsight. For me ‘The Road to Hell has always been paved with Good Intentions’

So why therefore, even with hindsight, have I sometimes felt incapable of changing the way I think, feel and then behave. Having a coach, a fellow traveller to share honestly with, has been for me if not a lifesaver, certainly a massive life enhancer.

All too often it is easy to feel like we are stuck in a rut and even if the rut is rather well furnished, it is sometimes very hard on one’s own to see a way up and out and then find the resolve to follow it.

Imagine if all Olympic Athletes were suddenly denied access to their coaches. One would think that was crazy. It is not that the coaches can run or jump or swim as well as those they coach, but their coaches are on hand to help maximise their potential and keep them focussed on what they want to do and achieve day by day.

It’s amazing how often when I talk things through instead of just charging in on a wing and a prayer, some of my genius ideas are maybe not so genius after all! Having someone totally dispassionate and with no vested interest to bounce them off has saved me much heartache, both in personal and work situations.

In this fast-paced world it is so useful to just pause and buy some time and space to think things through. Given the speed with which so much happens nowadays it is priceless to just be able to slow down and take stock.

The net result is my life has been simplified, I feel less frightened by the constant demands that life seems to make and those around me, whether family, friends or work colleagues also seem to benefit as well. A real win-win!

Having peace of mind and contentment and being grateful for the simple things in life – one’s mental and physical health in particular - are priceless as they cannot just be had on demand or bought with money. 

Life at the end of the day is about the choices we make, playing life as well as possible with the various cards that we have been dealt. Even if the cards don’t actually change, my experience with coaching is that I feel that I have been dealt a better hand!

It is odd that in this super connected world in which we live now loneliness and depression are increasing year on year. Even if surrounded constantly by people one can still feel lonely and at sea. Indeed the CEO of a big company recently told me that at times it is just a very lonely place to be. He didn’t feel he could express all his fears and doubts to colleagues, who relied on him, nor did he feel comfortable burdening his wife and family all the time. He also said that I was one of his most valuable employees and by no stretch of the imagination one of the best paid!!

The answer has turned out to be to share what’s going on the inside as honestly as possible. That is where the truth and the answers lie - within – but it is a journey that I am sometimes frightened and even unwilling to make alone, which is why I now go there in good company.