The Comprehensive Coach Guide – #10 Self Empowerment

The tenth item on our list emphasizes the importance of self empowerment. No one can teach you anything you don’t already know in the deepest depths of your heart. If you get the feeling that someone is claiming to be the cause of your progress, be skeptical and observe. A life coach, success coach, or mental trainer is only the facilitator that helps you tap into your reservoir of power and potential. No one needs a life coach per se, and if you have the feeling that you can do this on your own, go for it.

I chose to enroll in a guided program to experience a rite of passage that is called a “Vision Quest.” I paid for coaches and metaphorical midwives to help me be reborn into a new life, but I could have also chosen to pack my bags and hike into the wilderness for three days. Coaching in general could be compared to training wheels on a bike. In the beginning most people need them in order to stay on the bike and not fall, but in the end the need for such an aid decreases over time. Some children had someone help them with or without training wheels and others taught themselves how to ride a bike on their own.

The inaccuracy in the metaphor is that life is a little more complex than riding a bike. We constantly learn new things and get to new places of discomfort and growth. So while training wheels might be obsolete at some point, mentors, coaches, friends, bosses, in other words people who inspire us will help us grow as long as we live.

If you decide that you are looking for help, keep in mind that every coach-client relationship should be based upon empowerment and the achievement of your goals.