Goals for Focus and Motivation

Some people live life day by day. They just go with the flow of time and never consider the long-term implications of the decisions they make in the moment. It sounds very existential, very Jimmy Buffett-ish, but it seldom ends well. Without some sense of direction there is almost always the proverbial cliff that such a person ends up flying off of, or the wall into which they slam.

I'm not that kind of person. While I can occasionally hit the pause button in my commitment to moving toward a clearly defined goal, and I can just take a mental (if not actual) vacation from my A-Type personality, the truth is that I am by nature a goal oriented individual.

When I was in the 7th and 8th grades I had goals for my high school experience. I wanted to be the first person to get my picture up twice in the school sports' hall of fame; I wanted to be voted most athletic in my senior class, I wanted to be voted outstanding senior athlete of the year in the school; and I wanted to be the captain of the football team. Those were my goals and I was committed to them. How did it turn out? Well, I did not get voted captain of the football team (though I was captain of the wrestling and track teams), and I did not get my picture up twice in the hall of fame (I only got it up once for being the state runner-up in wrestling). However, I was voted most athletic and I did win the trophy for outstanding senior athlete of the year in our county. The point is that without any goals, I probably would not have experienced the achievements that I did.

To this day I have goals that I am pursuing. At the age of 50 my goals include my desire to finish well, and to enter into retirement debt-free. To achieve that objective I am formulating action steps that will take me step by step toward that goal. It requires commitment and focus and accountability. This is where the coach is so important, namely, accountability. It is easy to deviate from our goals and end up far from where we intended to be if we are not accountable for steps we take along the way. The coach provides support, encouragement, and accountability.

Beginning With the End in View

Most of us are familiar with GPS and use it to get to where we want to go.  I absolutely love my GPS.  I used to get lost on a routine basis before getting it, but now all I have to do is unput the location to which I desire to go and the GPS will calculate the route for me.  I can even make choices about the route, such as, the shortest route, minimize highway travel, exclude a specifice roads, and so forth.  The GPS identifies where I am and then caculates the directions, distance, and time for me to get to my goal.

I see life coaching as a GPS for life goals.  It begins with the SMART goal and then through "action steps" a route is charted for attaining that goal.  The coach is the voice that reminds us of the steps and actions that we need to take to reach our goal. 

The GPS does not set the destination, we do.  The GPS can only tell us where we should turn, but it cannot force us to stay on the course.  Our commitment to get to our destination will determine whether or not we will listen to the guidance given by the GPS.  Likewise, the coach does not set our goals, in fact, the coach does not even set the action steps, we do.  The coach is merely the voice that provices Support, Encouragement, and Accountabilty as we move toward our goal.

Too often we have a dream, a goal that we desire to reach, but often we get way off course and find ourselves either giving up on our goals, or taking the long, long, way to the goal.  As a result we rob ourselves of years of success that could have been ours if we'd had someone to remind us of our goal and to provide the guidance we needed to get there in a timely manner.

A life coach is a GPS for life in that he or she is a Guide for Personal Success.  If you need such a guide in reaching your dreams and attaining your goals, I am ready to be your GPS.

The Acronyms of Coaching

In coaching there are a myriad of acronyms used by coaches to help them think about and work through their relationship with the client.  For example, a coach and client may work through a series of exercises that will empower a client to recognize and articulate a S.M.A.R.T. goal.  This is a goal that is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-specific.  Identifying the goal, however, is only the first step on the path to goal attainment.  It stands to reason that if you don’t know where you’re going, any path will get you there.  Once a goal is identified then one is empowered to focus and to move in a direction that will lead to one’s purpose and enable one to realize his or her dreams.

Along the journey the coach fills a role that is best defined by the Greek word paracletos, which is someone who walks along beside another as a support partner, an encourager, and an accountability partner.  In life coaching the acronym for this relationship is S. E. A. (Support, Encourage, Accountability).  A coach is always client focused and the sole role of the coach is to help the client to identify their own preferred future and then to support the client, encourage the client and hold the client accountable to their own stated goal. 

Have you identified your SMART goal, or is there a nagging feeling in the back of your mind that there is something more that you should be doing, that there is a grander narrative for your life than you are currently living?  If so, it sounds like you need a life coach. 

Life Coaching

So I graduated from Dr. Sam Chand's Dream Releaser Coaching and I'm ready to reach out and touch somebody.  The program was intense and challenging.  It is no joke.  It required a year's worth of training, supervised coaching, and hours of homework, but now I am a believer in the benefits of having a life coach.

I had to learn the difference between coaching and counseling, mentoring, and consulting.  Coaching is client driven.  My role as a coach is to help you connect the dots, to see where God has already been working in your life, and to discover where He is taking you.  As the client makes this discovery his or her purpose and passion emerges in a dream for his or her life.  Sometimes people already know what their dream is, but sometimes the dream is lurking in their subconsciousness waiting to be pulled up and cast in the form of a vision and goal for life.

After the dream is discovered and articulated, the role of the life coach is to assist the client in the formation of a S.M.A.R.T. goal.  A SMART goal is a goal that is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-specific.  For example, a SMART goal might be: "I want to complete a book manuscript by the end of this year and solicit ten publishers for publication," or even something more basic such as, "I want to lose twenty-five pounds by the end of the year." 


Chances are that there is a dream in you.  You may already know exactly what it is, or you may just have a "feeling" a sense that there is something in you that is trying to get out and acheive something of significance.  As a life coach I can help you.  I'll be posting my website address in the near future with specifics on costs and benefits.