Coach Jimmy Dugan inspired his team to do the impossible both on the baseball field and off. His team was compiled of no average baseball players. In an era when men were off fighting World War II and most people thought women could not play baseball, Jimmy brought talented women together to form a professional baseball team. The glue that held the team together, Dugan held his team to high standards, and they rose to the occasion. Famously, he brought his team together when they were discouraged and inspired them, saying, “It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard … is what makes it great.” The full story is chronicled in the movie, A League of Their Own, and it is hard to watch the movie without wanting a Jimmy Dugan in your own life. What would it be like to have someone believe the best for you? Challenge you? Motivate you? And give you a pat on the back after a hard-fought win? If that sounds like someone you want in your life, know that life coaches are not so different than sports coaches like Jimmy Dugan. Many people are reaching out for help from a life coach to help them achieve the impossible in their own, personal lives.
Just like athletic coaches, life coaches help their clients know their weakness and strengths. They help their clients make a proactive plan for success. They focus their clients’ attention upon what really matters so that they can say, “no” to distractions. Coaching is not just for the baseball field.
“To excel at the highest level—or any level, really—you need to believe in yourself, and hands down, one of the biggest contributors to my self-confidence has been private coaching.” —Stephen Curry
Even NBA all-stars use coaching on and off the court. That is why Thriveworks Manassas in Prince William County believes that many people in all different stages of life can benefit from having an advocate to inspire, challenge, and encourage them.
Setting Big Goals
One of the best ways that life coaches help their clients achieve more, whatever more may look like for them, is through setting goals. When people regularly set challenging but sensible goals, they often experience a plethora of benefits. The research backs up many people’s experiences: people who set goals achieve more. One of America’s first inspirational speakers, Orison Swett Marden put it this way, “All who have accomplished great things have had a great aim, have fixed their gaze on a goal which was high, one which sometimes seemed impossible.”
Of course, fixing one’s gaze upon a worthy goal is often easier said than done. Often, the price that long-term achievement exacts is short-term sacrifice. That is where life coaches may be able to help. Life coaches often help their clients make the right goals—pursuing those changes that produce the most impact. When people get the hang of setting and achieving goals, here are a few of the benefits that they often experience:
- Increased self-restraint. Anything and everything is constantly pulling people’s attention away from what is most important. Knowing what the target is and how to get there often means people have an easier time saying, “no” to lesser things.
- Necessary but difficult steps forward. Goals often allow people to say, “yes” to adjustments in their life that they may have been avoiding. When the sacrifice serves a desired goal, then it is often easier to make.
- Whole-hearted living. Goals can align internal values and external actions. What people want becomes what drives their choices and actions. Often, people are happier when they are working toward a goal.
- Motivation. Everyone who goes after a challenging goal will experience times of setback and discouragement. Goals gives people a clear vision of the finish line and a reminder of why the sacrifice is worth the effort.
The wonderful thing about life coaching is that anyone can make a goal for anything. The goal can be person or professional—there is nothing off limits. People can set a goal for their attitude and what kind of person they want to become. People can set a goal for their finances and what kind of relationship they want to have with their money. People can even set a goal for fun and recreation and relaxation. If a goal expresses a value that a person holds, then it is worth setting and worth achieving.
“By recording your dreams and goals on paper, you set in motion the process of becoming the person you most want to be.
Put your future in good hands—your own.” —Mark Victor Hansen
Life Coaches at Thriveworks Manassas in Prince William—Scheduling Your Appointment
Is there a goal you want to achieve? Could you use someone in your life who knows you well—your strengths and weaknesses and helps you make a game plan? The life coaches at Thriveworks Manassas in Prince William County have worked with many clients. We know what it takes to achieve more and to help clients define what “more” means to them. If you are ready to meet with a life coach, the professionals at Thriveworks Manassas are ready to meet with you. When you contact our office, you may be meeting with your life coach the following day—many new clients have their first appointment within 24 hours of their first call. We accept many forms of insurance and we offer evening and weekend sessions. Let’s work toward your life goals together. Call Thriveworks Manassas in Prince William today.
