What Having a Life Coach Means

August 31, 2018 — It was the first time that I met Coach Lea. It was supposed to be an orientation of what a Life Coach is, what to expect, the terms, and other things to take note on the coaching arrangement. I was excited. I knew that I needed it. I sought for it. That day, I had my first session and I signed the agreement right away.

How did I end up seeking for a life coach?

I like reading books about personal development, watching motivational videos, listening to podcasts, and learning methods that could improve my life. That interest led me to the curiosity of having a life coach. Most of the time, successful people would say that having a mentor is important. I didn’t know the difference between a mentor and a coach by then. I was at a burnt-out time in my life back then and I just felt like I need someone more experienced that could give me advice.

Coaching is about asking thought-provoking questions as Coach Lea said. It’s not telling you what to do. I was the one expert in my life since I was the one living it.

I like to do a lot of things. I like to work on projects at the same time. I was stupid for thinking that it could be done all at the same time. I was wrong and I knew it. I was tired though nothing is getting finished. I also try to learn as much as I can especially in my field of work which is worth it. My time for running, hiking and going out, in general, was affected. I noticed that I no longer enjoy doing projects that I care. I was out of balance.

My Experience with Coach Lea of Haraya Coaching

I was mind blown by the first meeting. It was a getting-to-know phase. I told Coach Lea about my situation and she had me thinking why I do what I do. She shared me a story like this:

Construction Site

Okay, so there were these three men that worked at a construction site. Well, one day they sat down and opened their lunch.

The African guy opened up his lunch and got grits. He said that if he got rice again tomorrow that he was going to jump off the building.

The Mexican opened up his lunch and got a burrito. He said that if he gets a burrito again tomorrow that he was going to jump off the building also.

The blonde opened up his lunch and he got chicken. He said that if he got chicken tomorrow that he was going to jump off the building too.

Well, the next day the African guy opened up his lunch and he got grits again so he jumped. The Mexican opened up his and he got a burrito again so he jumped. The Blonde opened up his and he got chicken again so he jumped.

At their funeral, the African’s wife said: “If I would have known he didn’t want grits I would have packed something different”. The Mexican’s wife said, “If I would have known he didn’t want a burrito I would have packed him something different”.

The Blonde’s wife looked up and said: “Don’t look at me, he packs his own lunch.”

source: http://www.jokes4us.com/peoplejokes/constructionjokes.html

I got chills after hearing this. I was shocked later when I searched for this online and found out that it was tagged to be a joke.

The lesson for me in this was that if we are packing our own lunch (doing things in our control), why do we choose to do it even if it makes us feel negative. I was also asked the reason why I’m doing these things. I know my purpose for all these. I was told by Coach Lea that maybe I should revisit why I do what I do or change what I do.

I was always asked what makes me happy. Then I remember about hiking mountains and running. I lost being active. That is one of the things that I should give myself back.

I have learned a lot just by reading books but having a life coach is different. It was a different perspective crafted for my current situation. After 6 sessions, I was used to being asked how my life is going and evaluating myself as a person who wants to achieve his goals.

I was not given methods on how to make things better. I got that from books. What Coach Lea gave me is open different perspectives. Asking the right questions to make me think things through.

I want to be a coach too. I want to help people be better at what they do.

This is one of the experiences that would have a great impact on my life.

Written by John Eris Villanueva (https://blog.usejournal.com/what-having-a-life-coach-means-2467e59374e9)