Life is not a bowl of cherries and sometimes it is the pits. Things come at us unexpectedly. Life may be just fine with everything going our way, then, suddenly, we are on a dive. How we feel about ourselves will affect whether we can simply pick ourselves up and move on or not. Yet, major breakups, failures of businesses and the lost of someone we cared about can all act in a severe way upon our ability to forge ahead. We do not feel capable of dealing with the situation including our emotions. As a result, we often become stuck in a rut not able to move forward.

Death, divorce or even an empty nest can devastate the ability of someone to deal with any aspect of their existence. Such losses affect even basic things such as living arrangements and also may impact work, financial and personal relationships. There is large hole that begs to be filled but we seem unable to do so. If a relationship was involved, the loss can be especially deep. Our entire life may have revolved around this other individual. Now we are faced with the prospect of starting all over again. Even knowing where to begin can be a major challenge that can send us spiraling downwards.

Loss is not restricted to the disappearance of someone from our lives. Loss can also weigh heavily when a business folds or we lose our job. Either situation can be devastating. We feel powerless and trapped. However, like with a case of divorce or in times of bereavement, if we do not obtain the right kind of help to move forward with our lives, we are faced with potential physical and mental health issues.

No matter what type of loss we suffer, one thing remains clear. We must move forward. Our lives deserve to be filled with the best we can offer them including happiness joy and our true potential. The best way to help you is to turn to a life coach. These professionals help anyone coping with loss by guiding them to examine and discover what is not working in their lives. Life coaches help you to find out why this is so and work with you to decide upon the right direction for you and then to plot a feasible plan to achieve your goals. Furthermore, they help you do this by arranging for you to access the source of the blocks or limitations affecting your ability to progress. They help you discover what is holding you back and support you during your progression from this point to where you want to go.

It is important to remember your loss is not an end unto itself. You need to realize it is but the closing of chapter in a book called life. You need to understand this and move forward. If you seem to have difficulty grasping this concept and find yourself trapped, unable to forge ahead, perhaps life coaching is the right solution for you.

Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/coaching-articles/life-coaching-helping-you-to-move-on-4936210.html#ixzz1Q5NUL9Af

What is coaching?

by Veronica Wantenaar

“Coaching is a professional, collaborative and outcomes driven method of learning that seeks to develop an individual and raise self awareness so that s/he might achieve specific goals and perform at a more effective level”

COMENSA (Coaching and Mentoring South Africa)

We have all heard the saying that the one constant thing in life is change.  This means that individuals are constantly bombarded with new situations and demands, causing confusion, stress and sometimes burnout.   Organisations are facing very challenging economic and social realities and they need to find new ways of engaging, enabling and supporting their people to achieve the business objectives – often doing more with less.

So coaching is about change.

There are two types of change: Choice change and forced change

• Choice changes are the ones when we make the decision to create the change in our lives such as finding a new job, getting married, moving house.  The fact that these are our choices gives us a greater sense of control and confidence in dealing with whatever difficulties may arise but sometimes need support.
• Sometimes we are placed in a position of having change forced upon us such as retrenchment, a broken relationship, disability or illness or the death of a loved one and we do not have a choice but we have to ‘deal’ with the change.  This can bring a sense of loss and helplessness and the need for some practical support.

Sometimes in life we come to the realization that:

• the life that we are living is not the one that we really want; there are dreams and ambitions that we have lost along the way
• We are feeling that our life is out of balance
• We are being forced into roles that we do not want for ourselves
• We are feeling overwhelmed and need to gain some clarity about who we are and what we want
• We are struggling with being effective in our workplace

We know that we need to make a change but it can seem daunting without assistance.  These are situations where coaching can be really effective

Coaching is about moving forward in life.

The coach’s role is to speak and act in such a way that others learn and perform at their best.  The coach provides a thinking space where the individual/s can explore their current reality in relation to their goals and set realistic achievable milestones to take them to their desired future.  The coach is there to facilitate the discovery process and create a sense of awareness that will lead to action and results:  Moving from current state to the desired state.  This could be in terms of your own personal self confidence, your business effectiveness or improved interpersonal relationships.

Over time we will be exploring what to look for in a coach, some ideas around self coaching and responding to some of your coaching questions.

We are always looking at how we can improve SECRETS2SUCCESS and add value for you, our readers.

From May 2010 we will be launching a new addition to our website and e-magazine – Coaches on Call! This is the brainchild of Veronica Watenaar, the latest edition to the SECRETS2SUCCESS team.

Veronica’s has over 25 years coaching experience in sales, learning and development, facilitation, change and transition, consulting and management, as well as understanding and addressing developmental needs. She has been a member of the Coaching Centre for many years and is also the past Chairperson of COMENSA in the Western Cape. Veronica’s success in each of these areas is based on her real interest in people.

Veronica will be writing a weekly column talking about the benefits of coaching, exploring what to look for in a coach, some ideas around self coaching and will be responding to any questions you may have. The Secrets2Success Team would like to take this opportunity to Welcome Veronica aboard and we look forward to working with her in the future.