By Ana Martinez

news@oxfordeagle.com

Life coaching has proven to be a valuable resource to companies and individuals in need of a change. By demonstrating critical-thinking skills, life coaching helps a person to identify goals and the means to achieve them.

The International Coach Federation defines coaching as a partnership with clients by provoking thought and using a creative process to inspire people to maximize their personal and professional potential. It is a unique service that is very different from therapy, consulting, mentoring or training.

“A life coach works with a client to bridge the gap from where they are to where they want to be,” said Susan Hayman, a life coach in the Oxford area. “For example, a sports coach tweaks the talents and strengths of their players so that they can be the champions that they have always wanted to be.”

A life coach will ask a client questions that pertain to the client’s goals, which can be as simple as wanting to clean the house or as life-changing as losing weight. The idea of having a life coach is to have someone challenge an individual to set goals for themselves and to reach them.

“Every area of life can utilize a life coach,” said Betsey Sawyer, a life coach that will go before a board this summer to become certified. “Hiring a life coach is one of the greatest investments a person can make. We are trained to help others become the best versions of themselves.”

Life coaches do this by having clients investigate their personal lives from many angles and encourage them to look at communication skills and way of thinking. From this, clients will develop tools to help them understand themselves, their wants and needs, and what they want to do to make themselves a better person.

“The most rewarding part of my job as a life coach is the moment my clients ease into their lives with bright eyes and a big smile,” Sawyer said. “There is a moment that happens when an individual really accepts who they are and what they want. These are my favorite moments. Sometimes, it is as simple as changing a major. But when these moments happen, my clients see a new possibility at life. It isn’t just a path to trod because that’s just what you do; rather, it’s a new embrace of something they are excited about.”