Introduction:
A strong coach is a requirement for anyone pursuing sports at an elite level. An Olympic athlete wouldn’t consider “going for gold” without a coach. Parents are elite performers in the game of life. Life coaches aren’t an optional tool, but rather a necessity for individuals who want to reach their goal of being the best version of themselves.
Learn my thoughts for having a coach:
I love to jump rope. It gives me a fantastic cardiovascular workout while being fun and challenging. I take my stereo speaker and jump rope outside at the end of a tough day. Jumping to loud music feels like dancing for my soul. As time went by, I set some jump roping goals to help expand my repertoire of skills. I was confident that if I tried hard, I could perform ten double unders by the end of the calendar year. As I was attempting to learn how to perform the skill, I kept failing. Two months passed without being able to do even one. I decided I would hire a jump rope coach.
I was athletic as a young kid and enjoyed playing soccer and basketball. Throughout my time in sports, I learned a good coach was important to win games and grow individual athletes. The best coaches were the ones that had a comprehensive perspective from the sidelines, offered encouragement when needed, but also pushed athletes to become stronger, think quicker, and move faster.
My jump rope coach was able to tell me that my hands were coming up and slowing the rope. Being new to the skill, I wasn’t able to have this perspective. My coach would remind me that failure is part of the process of learning as I continued to make unsuccessful attempts at double unders. He never had an agenda for me, but instead worked alongside of me to help me successfully accomplish my own goals.
Just like an athletic coach, a life coach works with a client to improve a skill. Instead of soccer, basketball, or jumping rope, a life coach is improving the skill of managing one’s mind. A life coach listens to a client to be able to give the client an objective perspective. A life coach reminds the client that no one is perfect, but perfection is really accepting failure. A life coach is a personal guide to help the client keep their mind organized and focused so the client can move from Point A to Point B and achieve their personal goals.
My career in academic medicine and leadership has allowed me to be a coach for countless physicians. I am excited to expand my client base and share my talents with parents who have children with academic and medical needs. I have been able to deliver medical care to these children, but now I will help the caregivers reclaim their lives. As the mother of children with chronic medical issues, I understand firsthand the benefit of having an objective team member on the sideline giving perspective, guidance, and support.