Top 15 Reasons to Use a Coach

1. Life’s Too Short. When you’re 90 years old and looking back on your life, will you wish you had spent more time at the office, working on achieving someone else's goals, or wish you had spent more time working on your goals?

2. Ignite Something. A coach is trained to help uncover what you want in life, to clarify your goals, values and beliefs, and to work on igniting passion when you feel the inner flame starting to dwindle.

3. Reach Goals Faster. Of course everyone can live without a coach, but they’re hired to make life easier and help you get to your goals quicker than what you would have on your own.

4. Procrastination. “I’ll get started on that later,” is the sound of a goal dying.

5. Accountability. Goals are much harder to let slide when somebody is there to check in on you.

6. You’re Scared of Making a Leap. You might be feeling hesitant and unsure about what will happen if you make a sudden life change. Sometimes you need someone to help you take the first few steps, and sometimes you need someone to help you to take a running jump.

7. Blind Spots. Everyone has weaknesses that they are blind to until someone points them out.

8. Assess Yourself. We all have strengths, but sometimes we need a coach to help us discover what they are. “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." ― Albert Einstein

9. Develop Yourself. There are dozens of ‘soft’ skills that a coach can work on with you (e.g. Self-Awareness, Emotional Control, Initiative, Optimism, Empathy, Communication, Influence).

10. Independent Perspective. The path that you're thinking of may not be the shortest one to reach your goal. A coach can offer fresh perspectives, as well as new options and alternatives for choosing a better path.

11. Sounding Board for Ideas. Sometimes a professional discussion can take an average idea and, over the course of the dialogue, lead to a brilliant one.

12. Break Obstacles Into Smaller Pieces. A coach knows that small wins can create a lot of momentum.

13. Confidential Discussions. You can tell your coach things you wouldn't normally tell others. Other people may have agendas, but your coach always has your best interests in mind.

14. Flexible Relationship. Coaching is not restricted to follow a strict set of rules for what can and cannot be discussed. You and the coach together determine the parameters and scope of your work.

15. Lasting Positive Impact. Coaching provides you with a greater capacity to achieve your goals. Coaches are ultimately responsible to teach you to fish for yourself, not to do it for you. They will leave you with a clearer vision of the future, with more confidence and motivation, as well as a set of problem solving skills that you can use for the rest of your life.

“At any moment in time, you are only one thought away from an insight — an insight that can change everything.” — From the HBR Article “Choosing Between Making Money and Doing What You Love”