Excerpt From The eBook: Serendipity Jane's Guide To Life Coaching

Excerpt from the eBook
Serendipity Jane’s Guide to Life Coaching
Do you ever ask yourself questions like these?
• “How can I improve my standard of living?”
• “How can I stick to a diet?”
• “How can I fully take charge of my life?”
These are just some of the most common questions people have asked me. To answer them I ask a question in return, namely, “Would you prefer to find the answers to such questions alone or would you welcome the help of a life coach?”
Often just the idea of “asking for help” is greeted with a raised eyebrow. Does it mean the person who asks for help is incomplete, or should even regard himself as having failed?
My question above about welcoming the help of a life coach is sincere, as is the answer to this question: Who has ever achieved great things alone? Wasn’t it always a team effort, and isn’t it so much more reason to feel empowered when someone focusing on your need to complete what you started, to cheer you on when you did well and help you over the hurdles and through rocky passages? Isn’t it actually empowering to have someone you trust pull you through the mudslides of self-sabotage and doubt, through storms of unforeseen circumstances and through the waves of emotion that come with growth?
Usually in these conversations, a flood of questions follows and there seems to never be enough time to address all of them. Nonetheless, they deserve to be answered.
I decided to raise a few more questions of my own — and this time the right ones.
Help is nothing anyone needs to be ashamed of receiving or welcoming. People who have been incredibly successful always have an enormous amount of gratitude for others’ contributions, because they realize they did not succeed in a vacuum. They are well aware that perhaps not just once, but many times on their long and winding road to success, they have serendipitously, again and again, found the assistance they needed at just the right moment.
Why, then, is the idea that a life coach helps find answers and deal with challenges in life more efficiently still being met with heavy cynicism?
“What is Life Coaching?”
Let’s leave this question hanging for a while. After all, it does take more than five minutes to answer it. For years, I have wanted to find a one-liner to answer that question on the spot, but found myself offering a canned response over and over.
Still, there is no simple answer for it, and to meet with the increasing demands people have and the diversity this world is abundantly made of, the answer must be customized for each person individually. I would see that my canned response obtained the same undesired result: a skeptical and confused look. So I knew it was time to change something in my answer.
I learned by experience that coaching is not for everyone; or better said, not everyone is coachable. I respect and understand that this is true. Coaching is the best solution for those who have a long list of things they want to achieve in life and want to make sure they get there, who are flexible in their thinking and approach to life and who are willing to continue learning and expanding their horizons.
I also learned that, instead of explaining what life coaching is, I should ask YOU:
What is life coaching for YOU?
If you can’t give a clear cut answer to this question, don’t feel bad. Take up this book right now, because there is no one-liner to answer this question. Perhaps, if pressed, something like …“LIFE COACHING IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT!”… would come close.
I wrote this book for YOU. You have had the courage to ask the big questions. You also have — perhaps despite skepticism— started to inquire about what life coaching can be for you. This is commendable and for that reason, I invite you to take a spade and dig up some of that potential you have been hiding like a hidden treasure. I want you to team up with Serendipity Jane and take a good look at your road map. You designed it so far. Where did it bring you? Where are you today? Are you where you really wanted to be at this point, or do you feel that there is some uncharted territory that you would like to set sail on so that eventually you can be the Columbus of your own new continent of possibilities?
Raise your left hand and say “YES!” if that’s what you feel, and then lead that hand to your right shoulder and give yourself a strong pat on the back. Your YES means that you can congratulate yourself! You are one of only a small percentage of people who ask courageous questions about life in general, and most particularly, about their own success in life.
This puts you in an elite group of those who agree that personal success is a team effort. Would it not be amazing to meet your personal coach right now who will be right beside you when you take on challenges that you never had thought possible? Are you ready to successfully tie up these loose ends of your life? When are you going to get started?
There is no better time than now.
This book is for you to find out what a coach can do for you, how he can help you design your treasure map, and as is true of most people who hire a coach, become familiar with the things you have to know before you choose a coach. After all, the person you choose will build a very tight-knit relationship with you.
The important part is not the detailed to-do list, but the burning desire to change and grow. Going through this book, you’ll be assisted in that process and you’ll receive practical help in your self-evaluation, life-coach selection process, and who knows, perhaps you will still decide to go through this ALL BY YOURSELF!
I won’t dissuade you. I’m not saying you cannot make it. I’m just saying that it would be infinitely easier to go part of the way together than on your own.
I don’t want you to think that if you read this book, inspiration will miraculously smooth the edges and design your path as if it were an instant download from e-book heaven. What this book does for you is really up to you and how you put the ideas and action points to use. You’ll still be the one who has to perform each step you put on your action plan. You’ll still design the strategy of how to implement it. You know the best help is usually found at the end of your arms, and if you need a hand that’s where you find it, even if it is to pick up the phone or click your mouse and get in touch with a coach in this book. YOU choose, and just do what you have to do.
Even if you have decided to do it all yourself in the past, questions remain:
Will you really push yourself to ever greater achievements when the going gets tough, or will you then wish you had someone to lead you through your own terrors and fears on safe ground? Having a close partner in your personal growth has many advantages and one big one is the second pair of eyes to see beyond your comfort zone.
HOW MANY TIMES have you said “I know I should …”? Can you count the excuses you used for avoiding what you know you should have done in order to achieve what it really was you wanted? Why did you stop? Have you asked yourself that question and found more excuses than fingers on your hand, when either of those hands could point at you as the real culprit?
Well, perhaps you agree that it’s much easier to find excuses than to stick to a program. But perhaps it’s worthwhile to consider what this has already cost you, how much time you have already lost and be reassured that it is never too late to start over again. A coach will detect your limiting beliefs, the pirates of your mind who deprive you of your treasure.
Think about it right now: What can YOU gain from working with a personal life coach?
Dare to take that first step right now and you will KNOW how you can truly benefit from hiring a coach. You and your coach will develop a customized way of taking you straight to your goals and allowing you to soar to your highest heights.
If you desire to make permanent and monumental changes in your life, you owe it to look into coaching. Serendipity Jane’s Guide to Life Coaching will get you started right now.
There truly are no more secrets in the world today. Information is everywhere, and today is a good day to start your life of greater freedom with destination bliss. Insight and knowledge alone will not get you there, but you can achieve it if you take action now.
“A mind set to use your hidden potential is the mindset of success!”
— Serendipity Jane