5 Reasons to have a Coach

Many people might think of a coach as someone who  stands on the sidelines at a football game and shouts at the players. Or you might think of a coach as someone who helps you learn what you need to pass a test, or to master a specific skill.

As it turns out, in the purest sense of the word, to coach simply means "to help someone on a journey" - like the coach that carried Cinderella to her ball to meet her prince... but hopefully your coach won’t turn out to be a pumpkin.

A coach can be a brilliant way of helping you to make an important decision in life, or to achieve something worthwhile - especially if you feel stuck or feel like something's holding you back.

A coach is simply a person who listens to what you're saying (or not saying), asks the right questions and gets you to think through a problem from a different perspective. They don't offer specific advice or tips - that would be a mentor's role. They're not interested in delving into your childhood or the reasons for your low self-esteem or daddy-issues - you'd have to see a psychologist or a counsellor for that sort of help.

A coach is there to help you move forward in life, to break through barriers or to make a key decision.

So if you think any of the following things apply to you, it could be time to call in a coach:

1. If you have an issue burning away in your mind, keeping you awake at night, and you can't figure out what to do about it.

2. If you have some idea about where you want to go, but can't seem to make yourself take the next step, or need help deciding what steps to take.

3. If you don't have anyone you can talk to about how you feel, or if your friends and family don't seem to understand your viewpoint.

4. If you look back at the past couple of years and feel disappointment or frustration at the lack of progress in your life. 

5. If you just want to talk out loud about your issues or problems, and you need someone to listen without being judgemental or offering their own opinions.

It can be really hard when you want to make progress but can't, and it can feel especially isolating if you don't have a circle of peers to support you. A coach can be the difference between success and failure; at the very least he or she will definitely help you to open up.

If you think coaching might be useful for you, contact me and we'll have a chat about it.

As for having someone at the sidelines cheering you on, when you're successful, there'll be a whole crowd of people shouting their support. And your coach will be standing there quietly, smiling at you, knowing they helped get you there.

3 Steps to Achieving Your Goals

"If you feel like you're spinning your wheels and not making any progress, one solution is to put more urgency into your life. Here's what you need to do. 

First, identify what it is that you truly want to accomplish. Second, outline what you need to do to get there. And third, give yourself a deadline. (Bonus fourth step: Cut that deadline by 20%. Don't worry, you'll reach it.)"

- from Craig Ballantyne at Early to Rise 

As an example, here is one of my key goals broken down into steps, using the SMART principles, with more urgency added than ever before.

1.       I want to be able to earn at least £50,000 from copywriting per year by April 2013. This would make a massive difference to my quality of life, and allow me to spend more time with my family.

2.       In order to get there, I will need to be making at least £4,200 per month from copywriting, or £1,040 per week. Ideally, that would be from long term clients, and fun projects. I will need to draw up a list of ideal clients and projects, which will suit my likes and aspirations. I will then need to write proposals to them, to offer my services. In order to help me market myself, I’ll need a clear website with a few samples and some testimonials. In order to get those testimonials, I’ll need to do a couple of projects on spec for clients similar to my ideal clients.

3.       In order to get to my target of £4,200 per month consistently by April 2013, I’ll need to meet the following deadlines:

a.       Decide target audience/niche today (April 17^th)

b.      Select and research ideal clients and projects

c.       Work on website text aiming at ideal clients

d.      Set up balance sheet for accounts

e.      Website drafted and bought by April 25^th

f.        Website final design by April 27^th

g.       Sample letter finished by April 30^th

h.      Website online by May 1^st 2012

i.         Draft proposal for work by May 5^th 2012

j.        Join Elance and create template proposals by May 9^th

k.       Complete first project by May 31^st

l.         Get testimonial and add to website

m.    Take SEO course and add specialisation to website during June

n.      Send out more proposals and increase prices

o.      Earn £5,000 by June 30^th 2012

p.      Go to Copywriting Bootcamp in October

q.      Get more clients and increase prices

r.        £3,000 per month by January 2013

s.       £4,200 per month by April 2013

A lot of these stages are dependent on my having a good clear website and systems in place, to allow me to get the work done outside of the time I'm at my full-time job, while still spending quality time with Brilliant Guy and Brilliant Boy. If I can figure out what my ideal projects would be, then it will make things a lot easier, and that’s my job for today. No more procrastinating! Onwards and upwards, hurrah!

How to find Meaning in your Life

I’ve spent a great deal of time over the past couple of weeks (*months*) trying to figure out what makes me happy, and what I should be doing with my life. I still don’t know what I want to do when I grow up, and I’m almost 32!!

Anyway, one thing I’ve discovered about myself is that I have this huge dichotomy in my self-image that is really holding me back. One the one hand, I think I’m one of the most super-intelligent people on the planet, mainly due to my IQ of 174 and my amazing GCSE results – so basically that belief goes back to the age of 16! Fair enough, but on the other hand I’m plagued by the feeling that I’m just not good enough, and I don’t know enough. I’m a terrible friend, wife and mother – or so my inner voice tells me on a regular basis. Why would anyone want to listen to my opinions, let alone pay me for my writing?!

That sounds ridiculous when I think about it rationally. I’ve certainly spent enough hours learning and practicing copywriting to be able to do it well, and I’m a fantastically loving mum to my little boy – hence the reason he screamed so much when I left him in crèche this morning L

Deep down, I know at least as much about copywriting as most of the people out there making a living from it, and I’m learning more all the time. Just this morning, I watched an online seminar by Heather Lloyd-Martin, of SEO copywriting fame. That taught me even more about key-phrase research and increasing conversion rates through the use of better titles. I know I could definitely add a lot of value to clients’ webpages. Now I just need to find some clients! J

Back to my earlier question: how do I find out what makes me happy? I guess the things I do when I’m not forced to do them could be contenders. In that case, I’ve just answered my own question. I’ve spent most of my Easter holiday learning about copywriting – when I could have been doing anything with my time.  But if that’s what makes me happy, then why do I feel so overwhelmed at the thought of committing to it?

Mind you, I did spend quite a bit of time playing online poker too, so maybe I should become a full-time poker player instead...? That’d probably be a riskier way of making a living, but it’s one I would seriously think about if I didn’t have a family to support, and if I was 10 years younger!!!

Maybe another way of looking at it would be to think about how I’d spend my time if I knew the world was going to end this year? It is 2012, after all. Personally, I don’t think that helps – if the world’s going to end tomorrow, I’m running around panicking and screaming like a lunatic, “I’m too young to die!!!”

The moral here is that we shouldn’t really worry about what we’re going to be when we grow up – it’s all pretty irrelevant in the grand scheme of the universe anyway. Just have a good time, do what makes you happy, and try to make others happy along the way. Oh, and if you can, make a lot of money doing it.

If you have any better ideas about how to find meaning in life, please let me know by leaving a comment, I’d be really interested to hear your views.