Navigating the conflict of a client's seemingly unattainable goals in life coaching requires a balanced approach that emphasizes empathy, clarity, and realistic planning. Encourage your client to delve into the reasons behind their goals. Understanding their deeper motivations can help identify if the goals are aligned with their values and what they truly want. Acknowledge and celebrate small achievements to build confidence and reinforce the idea that progress is possible, even if it’s incremental. Remind your client to be kind to themselves throughout the process. It’s essential for them to recognize that growth takes time and that it’s okay to adjust their goals as they evolve.

There is an exercise I take clients through that I call “before that.” Start with the “unattainable” goals and invite them to imagine the step that happened before that…and then use that process to reverse engineer your way to current state. I’m always amazed and how few steps it takes to get from here to there. It also serves to show what the clear next step is to reach that goal.

During your coaching journey, it’s natural to encounter moments where clients may struggle to focus or feel overwhelmed by distractions. 1. Setting the Foundation: The Discovery Call- Questions to ask during discovery: “What’s truly motivating you to achieve this goal?” 2. Recognizing the distraction- You could say something like: “It sounds like there’s a lot going on in your mind right now. Let’s take a step back and reconnect with why this goal matters.” 3. Guiding Them Toward Clarity You could ask: “What’s one small step you can take this week to move closer to your goal?” 4.Empowering the Client to Act You asked questions like: “What actions will you commit to before our next session?”

We need to be careful with our perceptions and judgments. What seems very difficult to us to accomplish, may not be for other people! Regardless of this, it is worth mentioning that the definition of a SMART goal, if not the first one, is one of the first things to work on in a coaching process. As a coach, instigate the coachee to define their SMART goal. And some of the questions that can help in this definition process are: "What makes you think that this is possible within the established deadline?", "What do you already have that you consider an advantage for achievement and what do you think is not enough?"

Helping clients achieve seemingly unattainable goals requires breaking things down into smaller, actionable steps. I’ve found that guiding clients to focus on their why and connecting it to realistic milestones is key. It’s also important to regularly reassess progress and be open to adjusting the timeline or approach. Encouraging clients to view setbacks as part of the learning process helps them stay motivated and keeps momentum going. Ultimately, transparency, empathy, and celebrating small wins make a big difference in navigating these challenges.