Benefits of Coaching – Accountability

This month, I am on a mission to bring more understanding about coaching to you in my network and to the general public.

This series of posts is on the benefits of coaching. Wherever possible I have also given success stories/examples of how I used coaching tools to bring those benefits to my client’s situation or life.

Disclaimer: I have taken the consent from my clients to share these stories and in order to protect their privacy names, and places have been changed

Accountability

Motivation can go only a certain distance. It is easy to get demotivated and distracted in modern-day life. A coach keeps you accountable for your goals when motivation is hard to find. Life coaching can help individuals take ownership of their actions and achieve their desired outcomes. A coach uses a range of tools and techniques to help you through goal setting, obstacle identification, planning, feedback, support, and accountability.

Example

My client was a student from a reputed university in Sydney, he was working with me because his mother decided he needed direction in life. It's not that he didn't have a vision for his future, he did. His vision for life was ′Enjoy′.

During sessions, he was showing motivation and worked with me to crystallize his goals and create action plans. But I realised he doesn't act towards achieving his life goals. Most of his time was spent with friends and playing video games.

After an honest discussion, he mentioned working towards his goals goes against his motto in life. His motto in life was, “Live in the moment”. I asked him what that means to him. He said, ′Living in the moment′ is enjoying life each and every moment. I challenged him to tell me, where in this statement it says not to work or act. He said, “If I work instead of having fun, the moment will pass, and I will not have time to enjoy the moment”. I challenged him again, and asked him, “What will happen if you don't work now for your future? What will happen to your enjoyment in 10 years down the life”. That was his breakthrough moment realising that his actions today will create his future.

I asked him to give a better meaning to the motto ′Living in the moment′. I made him think, what if?′Living in the moment′ means enjoying the things he has to do at that moment??He agreed that will allow him to enjoy the moment and allow him to keep living according to his vision of ′Enjoy′ in the future.?

As I expected, he came back to the next session with many steps taken toward his goals. Understanding that he is accountable for his future and breaking through his limiting belief got him out of the rabbit hole he was in.