Here’s a question for you: Have you ever felt like you want more from life, that your everyday reality just isn’t cutting it for you, you’re not reaching your full potential, and that if you don’t do something about it you will end up looking back with regret at what might have been, yet you can’t quite seem to make change happen for yourself?
Yeah, that. It’s a thing. So many women find themselves in this position. Some manage to turn things around on their own (eventually), some stay stuck in ‘shoulda’, ‘woulda’ ‘coulda’ land forever and some choose to invest in a professional coach to get them to where they want to be as quickly as possible. Before deciding which camp you’re taking residence in, you’re going to want to read on… First thing’s first, let’s be honest, investing IS scary for everyone. Even as someone who has invested thousands in her own growth and development over the last few years, I still get that nervous feeling and the little voice in my ear asking ‘are you doing the right thing?’ before I hand over my hard-earned cash. So yes investing is scary, but for many of us, the gut-wrenching thought of staying stuck in a life that doesn’t make you happy feels MUCH scarier. Today I’m breaking down the things to consider when asking yourself ‘is life coaching worth it?’ to enable you to make an informed choice about making this type of investment. Reasons why self-investment can feel scary. Whilst it’s normal that self-investment can feel a little (or really) scary, it’s definitely worth exploring why that is, in my experience, it’s usually due to one of these 4 reasons. 1. You are used to spending money on other things. For some reason, we tend to feel ok about spending money but investing money in our development can feel much more uncomfortable. Here’s what I mean; Many of us often don’t think twice about shelling out £3 a day on a coffee which adds up to just short of £100 a month but we would hesitate on spending that same amount on an online course. Throwing £20 at a takeaway on a Friday night is the norm for a lot of us but indulging £20 on a self-development book feels pricey. Parting with £1000 for a holiday that makes you happy for a week (but then you come back to the same unfulfilled life as before) feels like a great idea, but investing in a Life Coach and doing the work needed to create a life you're not desperate to escape from feels a massive stretch. I’m not here to jump in your wallet and tell you what to spend your money on but I am here to ask you if your spending habits today are going to lead you to the life you want tomorrow?
2. You don’t have the money.
There’s a difference between being cautious about spending money and/or changing your priorities around what you spend money on and not actually having the money to spend in the first place. You need to be honest with yourself when considering investing. If you don’t have the money and you can’t find it by cutting back on other things, then please be wary of any person or organisation that pressures you to get into debt to enable you to invest with them. Instead, explore what you can do for free until you are able to invest. I provide free resources to help you such as my weekly Personal Development/Self-care and Wellbeing email, The Check-in. Here I share exercises, hacks, workbooks and inspiration on topics such as overcoming overwhelm, building confidence and effective goal setting- all for free. You can sign up here and enjoy my free content until you’re able to invest and when you are able to do so, I can secure you a spot on one of my paid programmes with a low deposit, so you don’t miss out and also offer you payments via instalments at no extra cost.
3. You Feel selfish.
You are so used to putting everyone else’s needs before your own, that the concept of prioritising yourself and your needs feels extremely alien and downright uncomfortable. This is particularly prevalent amongst mums who feel like they can’t ‘justify’ spending money on themselves when they could be spending it on their little one(s). This was me 4 years ago but honestly, I learnt the hard way that making myself a priority was an act of love for me AND an act of love for my kids too. Meeting my needs meant I could show up as the mum I wanted to be, the mum that they deserved and not the unhappy, burnt out and frazzled mum that I was before I invested in myself.
4. You are not sure if the investment is right for you.
Investing is a big deal. You’re not only investing financially, but you’re also investing your time and for many of us that’s equally as, if not more, precious, so don’t rush this. Do your research. Following on social media or attending a free webinar or workshop is a great way to get a feel for what a coach is all about with zero commitment. You can also take a look at their website for previous client testimonials and details of their credentials too (please note that coaching is currently an unregulated industry and sadly many ‘coaches’ don’t have formal qualifications, so this is definitely something to watch out for). By far the best way to really understand if investing with a coach is the right decision for you is to have a conversation with them. I offer every single woman who is considering investing in their development with me the option of a complimentary 30-minute chat. This is so we can explore together exactly where you are now, where you want to be instead and how I can support you if we decide to work together. These sessions are no obligation and whether we work together afterwards or not, you will come away with some great tips to help you move forwards. You can book yours here.
What you get for your money
I currently offer two different packages for my 1:1 Coaching, depending on how much support you are looking for. You can read more about them here BUT really, you’re not buying what the package includes, you’re buying the result that the package brings you. You’re investing in the transformation that you want and that looks different for everyone.
For me, the main source of my unhappiness and lack of fulfilment was my job. I was a people-pleasing perfectionist with zero boundaries in a job that didn’t light me up. I’d thrown everything into being the best mum I could be to my little boys and the best leader for my team at work but completely lost myself in the process. It took me to almost reach breaking point for me to be honest about how I was feeling and get the support I needed. Investing in my coach helped me to become a priority in my own life again, re-programme my mindset and build the confidence to create a new career for myself that brings me so much happiness and fulfilment. For me, it’s been worth every penny and more. My whole life has transformed as a result of my making the decision to back myself and go for it.
Is this relatable?
Are you looking to make changes in your personal or professional life too?
Maybe you are where you actually want to be career-wise, but you are not enjoying your work because you are struggling with Imposter syndrome and self-doubt?
Perhaps, you know where you want to get to but your confidence is low and you are struggling to take the steps forward you need to take to get there?
Or is it that you don’t know what you want from life because you’re so stuck on the hamster wheel that you haven’t had the chance to stop and think about what makes you happy or where you want to be, you just know that ‘this’ isn’t it?
Only you know how life feels right now.
How much is having a job you love worth to you?
How much is having a life you love worth to you?
How much is your happiness worth to you?
How much are you worth?
Could you get there on your own?
Honestly? Yes, you could, and many women do but the difficult question to ask yourself is this:
‘If you could have done it on your own, why haven’t you done it already?’
Here are some of the reasons why my Personal Development Coaching is much more effective at helping my clients to achieve their goals than if they were to do it alone;
Investing means they’ve got ‘skin in the game’ and a real sense of commitment like never before. They’ve invested the money that they’ve worked hard for, they’re not about to waste it so they go ALL IN and do the work needed to get the results they desire.
Hiring me means they have someone in their life whose sole role is to help them to achieve their goal. For the first time in forever, it's all about them and they have the time and headspace to focus on what they truly need without interruption or distraction of having to meet the needs of others.
I create a non-judgemental space allowing them to really tap into what matters to them, unpack what’s stopped them getting there so far and make a plan of action that means they finally get to where they want to be.
Access to my dedicated support and unwavering encouragement every step of the way means they are much less likely to give up when times get tough, as they may have done before.
Saying it out loud, writing it down, making a plan and having me holding them accountable for every single action they agree to take means that they move forward and do the hard stuff and make the progress.
So I guess the long and short of it is- that coaching works (if you do). In fact, according to the ICF Global Coaching Client Study, a stunning 99 per cent of people who were polled said they were somewhat or very satisfied with the overall coaching experience, you can read about that here https://coachingfederation.org/faqs?fwp_faqs_search=Work
If you have any questions at all, drop me an email leanne@youfirstcoach.co.uk I hope we speak soon.
Leanne x
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