Find a life coach to get you through the coming year.

The New Year is soon approaching, so what will be your resolutions? This New Year, if you’re hitting a low or just simply want to improve your life, try getting yourself a life coach.

A life what?

Life coach is a term that describes your new life manager, to put it simply. “People live their lives without a clear purpose in mind,” explains Kom Suwanpimon, the brains behind Thai service Coach For Goal. Like “sport coaches who help athletes reach their physical potential, life coaches help everyday persons achieve their life goals,” he says.

Coaching life

Contrary to popular belief, life coaches are not psychiatrists, though the coaching might involve some basic psychology. “A coach can guide a person by telling them what they should do to improve their current course of life,” says Kom. “Nobody is ever told what they’re doing is wrong,” but “if we don’t step in and give them guidance, then they will continue on the wrong route.” A life coach can work with a company to help employees achieve company goals, or they can work with individuals to help them meet their potential.

Daniel Remon, the managing director of FitCorp Asia, a local life coaching agency, says that the job of a life coach is to help you gain balance in life. A “life coach is for anyone looking to facilitate success, finding balance between work, life and family,” he says.

Life coaches look at how a person makes a decision and critique them, then give comments and support where they are needed. “It’s up to us to find the ways to inspire people. We find their strengths and weaknesses and look at how each of them is affecting their life.” explains Kom. “We don’t give you false hope. We provide you with motivation that’s realistic and achievable.”

Your life in a stranger’s hand

“Life coaching isn’t for those who are happy to be average,” says Debbie Reeds, an International Coaching Federation-certified life coach who now runs a service in Bangkok called SoulSanook. “It’s a choice for people who want to get more from life, to be the best they can, to be happy and successful.”

Having a life coach isn’t about letting someone else take control of your life; it’s about receiving guidance for living more effectively.

According to Kom, a life coach can be anybody. It can be your spouse or someone whom you trust and respect enough to follow their advice. “Having a life coach is a good thing, but it’s up to the person if he/she would be willing to listen to the coach or not,” he says. In his opinion, life coaches need basic psychology training in order to know how to manage a person and how to see things from different perspectives. 

Not convinced yet?

Life coaching is not just about helping clients make career choices. Life coaches can also help solve personal problems, from marriage counseling to beating alcoholism. The main purpose of a life coach is to help people prioritize and determine their ultimate life goals.
“Let’s say you’re an alcoholic. We will help you look into how alcoholism can or cannot contribute to achieving your goals,” explains Kom. “If you know what your priority is, then you see that drinking isn’t really what you want to have as a part of who you want to be.”

“The world’s most successful business people and entrepreneurs usually have a coach behind them,” says Daniel.

Usually people come to life coaches in the hope of gaining success in their career. Some people already have their minds set on a goal, but over the course of time, that goal can become blurry due to changes and struggles that they face along the way. This is where life coaches come in. “Life coaches are here to help you redefine and rebuild your goal so that you can get back on track,” says Kom.

Be the boss of me

The good point of having a life coach is that it’s easier to make decisions when you have someone to give you guidance. Like your college counselor who helps set up the process of deciding where to study, life coaches help you make decisions—better decisions. But then again, it’s up to the client whether to make the life coaching a success.

“Your progress still requires you to take action,” explains Debbie of SoulSanook. “There may be some difficult decisions to take—the path that’s right for you may not be the one your friends and family had in mind.”

The process of picking the right coach is also crucial. Even though there are currently no official certifications or licenses for life coaches, there are numerous life coaching agencies out there that give credentials such as the International Coaching Federation.

Aside from picking the coach who knows what he or she is doing, it’s also important to note the relationship between the client and the coach. “Look for someone qualified who adheres to a code of ethics and is clear about their role,” advises Debbie. “See what you can expect and how the relationship will work.”