While you will see my website website and social profiles showing a confidence in what is possible and what I believe I can do with and for others, I still wanted to take a moment to just be real with those around me. So a little reflection on the journey so far….
For a while now, I have been yearning to do something different… something that I felt would make a difference in the lives of others. Going through the various options, and looking at myself in an honest way, I found that the idea of becoming a coach began to really call to me. So, I decided to step into that space – stepping out in faith… in myself.
Life changes are not overnight. And just because you have decided to make a change doesn’t mean that you suddenly find yourself swimming in a ton of success. Actually, it’s usually quite the opposite… the change can take time, and along the way… the struggle.
Right now, I am in that learning phase. I am working through the certification process (no, I didn’t choose an “overnight” coaching program), and learning more and more about what the coaching process is like. There’s a lot of what I am finding that naturally lines up with who I am and how I want to approach this… and yet, there are definitely new things to learn, as well as areas that I don’t totally agree with.
One of the biggest struggles right now is truly defining who I am as a coach. Well, that’s not entirely true… I know who I am… but how do I want to define myself within this coaching space?
One of the mantras I hear over and over again is that you need to “niche down” – really focus in on the one or two areas that you have specific experience in – and that should be your target audience. Yet… this feels inauthentic to me.
I don’t need to have the exact specific life experience as someone I am coaching… As a matter of fact, I personally feel that if you focus too much on your own life experience as that foundation, you start to see everyone else exclusively through that lens. As each and every one of us has our own unique experiences – even if we are going through the exact same scenario – doesn’t trying to become a “niche” only try to force everyone else to fit my own experience?
Trying to find that balance is not easy.
And there’s the marketing aspect… as much as I hate that it’s a thing, no one will hire you to coach them if they don’t know you exist. So finding the right message that strikes the chord of what my voice actually is… oh, yeah… that’s a challenge too.
I’d love to report to you that I have several coaching clients that I am working with, but the reality is that I am still very much in the start of this.
I see the way I want to approach it, as shown by a few others that I admire in the field… and I want to be able to replicate that approach with my own voice. I try to remind myself to stay patient, focus on what you can do and control, and leave the rest to come as it will… but damn, that is hard to do sometimes.
I’m ready to go. In my heart and mind, I am ready to start helping and making a difference for others. I may be “new” to coaching as a profession, but I’ve been doing this for years now. Hopefully the right people will come along in the near future that will show me the trust to work with them. For now, I will continue to learn, grow and step into my future… with intent and expectation for great things to come.
Thank you for being with me on this journey, especially to those who have been supportive.
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