Here are some commonly asked questions about coaching.  I am answering these in general and from the unique perspective of Alchemy for Life™ coaching.

1. What are the benefits of coaching?
2. How can a coach help me achieve my goals?
3. How is coaching different from therapy or counseling?
4. Can coaching help me improve my relationships?
5. How can I find the right coach for me?

What are the benifits of coaching?

Coaching can help in many areas of life, it can help you to improve your performance at work, build your leadership skills, develop a more effective team, change your behavior, shift your mindset, increase your accountability, and many more.

Coaching can help you to improve your personal and professional relationships by helping you to identify and overcome obstacles, set clear and measurable objectives, and hold you accountable for achieving them. It can also help you to improve your health and wellness by helping you to establish positive habits and routines, and providing support and guidance as you work towards your goals.

In addition, coaching can also help you with your personal development by helping you to identify your strengths and weaknesses, and to develop a plan to leverage your strengths and address your weaknesses. It can also help you to overcome self-limiting beliefs, and to develop a growth mindset, which will enable you to approach challenges with a positive attitude and a willingness to learn from your mistakes.  This becomes particularly clear when one examines the Balance Sheet that is part of Alchemy for Life™ coaching.

Coaching can also help you to improve your time management, stress management, and financial management skills. It can also help you to find more meaning and purpose in your life, and to develop a more positive outlook on life.

How can a coach help me to acheive goals?

A coach can help you achieve your goals by providing support and guidance as you work to identify and overcome obstacles, set clear and measurable objectives, and hold yourself accountable for achieving them. They can help you to gain new perspectives on your situation, and to develop effective strategies for achieving your goals.

Alchemy for Life™ is unique in that we do not just plop a goal into your life.  We examine the whole, and we will find that a goal “springs forth” from an area in your life. It becomes a much more meaningful goal but is also tied to your Time, Energy or Resources in a way that makes it tangible.  All the time in the world won’t allow you to write a book if you come home each night with no energy.

A coach can also help you to identify your strengths and weaknesses, and to develop a plan to leverage your strengths and address your weaknesses. They can also help you to establish positive habits and routines that will support your progress and help you to achieve your goals.  Again, this “schedule” is a reflection of the time that we map out on your balance sheet.

A coach can also help you to stay motivated, focused and on track to achieving your goals. They can provide you with the support and accountability you need to make progress and achieve your goals. Additionally, a coach can also help you to develop a growth mindset, which will enable you to approach challenges with a positive attitude and a willingness to learn from your mistakes. With the guidance of a coach, you can make a plan, set realistic expectations and work towards achieving your goals.

How is coaching different from therapy or counseling?

Coaching and therapy/counseling are different practices that aim to help individuals overcome challenges and improve their lives.

Coaching is more focused on helping individuals achieve specific goals and objectives, such as improving their performance at work, building their leadership skills, developing a more effective team, or changing their behavior.

In the case of Alchemy for Life™, the coaching is based on a proven system that looks at the person’s life as a whole and examines where that person’s time, energy and resources are going.  This is a snapshot of their life and does an amazing job of answering many questions in just a glance.

Coaches typically work with clients on a short-term basis, helping them to identify and overcome obstacles, set clear and measurable objectives, and hold themselves accountable for achieving them.

On the other hand, therapy and counseling are more focused on addressing mental health and emotional well-being issues, such as dealing with trauma, overcoming addiction, or managing anxiety and depression. Therapists and counselors typically work with clients on a longer-term basis, helping them to understand and process their emotions, and to develop effective coping strategies.

Alchemy views licensed therapists as taking a client from a negative to at least 0, and the coach then taking it from there.   In fact, Mark has had chats with licensed professionals and confirmed exatly that.

Both coaching and therapy/counseling can be beneficial, depending on the individual’s needs and goals. Coaching can be a great option for individuals looking to achieve specific goals and make positive changes in their lives, while therapy and counseling can be a great option for individuals dealing with emotional or mental health issues.

Can coaching help me improve my relationships?

Yes, it can, and does! Coaching can help you to improve your relationships by providing support and guidance as you work to identify and overcome obstacles, set clear and measurable objectives, and hold yourself accountable for achieving them. A coach can help you to gain new perspectives on your relationships and to develop effective strategies for improving them. They can also help you to identify patterns of behavior that may be hindering your relationships and to develop new ways of interacting with others.

Coaching can also help you to develop better communication skills, active listening skills, and empathy. It can help you to understand your own emotions and reactions, and to express them in a healthy and effective way. A coach can also help you to understand the perspective of the other person and to find common ground. They can also help you to build trust, respect and intimacy in your relationships. Coaching can also help you to set boundaries, to deal with conflicts and to forgive.

However, like everything, a relationship is Time, Energy and Resources™ and is subject to the outside forces of where you are spending those three elements.  All the information and tasks and guidance in the world will not help you if you are being stressed by a job, or aren’t making the time to nurture a relationship.  This simple equation is forgotten in other forms of coaching that tend to be too focused on the “problem” without looking at the person’s life a whole.

In addition, coaching can also help you to develop a more positive and constructive attitude towards your relationships and to focus on the things that you appreciate and value in your relationships. It can help you to develop a more loving and caring attitude towards yourself and others, and to build deeper, more meaningful connections with the people in your life.  This is where “self care” and “self love” come in, which are not selfish things.  And the ability to provice yourself with this self care and self love is only possible if you allocate…. you guessed it… Time, Energy and Resources™!

How can I find the right coach for me?

Finding the right coach for you is an important step in achieving your goals and making positive changes in your life. A coach who is a good fit for you will be able to understand your needs, provide support and guidance, and help you to achieve your goals.

Understand that there is a difference between relating to your experiences and understanding your experiences.  Your coach needn’t be the sme sex, race or background as you to be effective.  They need to have coaching skills, understanding, empathy and a system.  It cannot be stressed enough that a goal is just not enough, one (and one’s coach) need a system to accomplish this.  Alchemy for Life™ is a unique system (with a web system built from scratch to support it).

You can also ask for a free consultation or a session, this will give you the opportunity to have a conversation with the coach, and to see if they are a good fit for you, you can also see if their coaching methods and approach aligns with your needs and goals.  Most coaches will not (and should not) provide a free “session.”  To properly provide a session a coach would have to do an intake of the client, learn about them, and then create a plan with them.  This take a lot of effort to do so and it is not in the best interest of the coach to pursue this.  For Alchemy for Life™ coaching I agree to a 15 minute (ish) telephone consultation in which we explore whether we a re a goot fit for each other (it is a two-way street, after all).  

It’s also important to consider if you feel comfortable with the coach and if you trust them, having a good rapport with your coach will help you to be more open and to make the most of the coaching sessions.  This is definitely established in the initial call.

Ultimately, the most important thing is to find a coach who can understand your needs and help you to achieve your goals.