How to Become Your Own Coach in Four Easy Steps

How to Become Your Own Coach in Four Easy Steps

Scott Christ

A coach's role is to help people solve problems. Coaches can be a wonderful way to help you discover new ways of doing things and overcome bad habits.

However, most coaches don't come cheap. And many people don't believe they have the time to work with a coach. These are just two of the reasons you're probably wondering how to become your own coach. No need to worry, friends, because we've taken your concerns into account.

How do you become your own coach?

Here are four simple steps:

Step 1: Take the time to honestly assess your strengths and weaknesses.

What are you good at? What would you like to be better at? To change something about yourself, you need to identify your problem areas so that you can come up with a strategy to address them. So, answer these questions honestly and openly:

• What do your friends and family say are your top three strengths?
• What about your top three weaknesses?
• What are your relationships with others like?
• What are your biggest fears?

You'll use this information later.

Step 2: Set your goals.

Now you know what you're good at and what you're not. What will you do with this information? The answer is to set goals to improve your strengths and weaknesses. You want to keep improving in the areas you're already good at, while addressing your weak areas at the same time. Here's how to do it. Answer these questions (make sure to write them down):

• What do you love to do?
• What are the things you're most passionate about?
• What are the things you dislike?

These questions will help you uncover and develop your talents. Once you have your answers, use them to set your goals. Research shows that goals are easier to achieve when they are specific and not too numerous. So, start with a small goal. Let's say your goal is to lose weight. How much do you want to lose overall? If it's 20 kg, what's a realistic monthly target? Don't expect to lose 10 kg (1 to 2 kg a month is far more achievable). Write it down:

• This year: I will lose 20 kg.
• Each month: I will lose about 2 kg.
• This week: I will lose about 300g.

Notice how these goals are framed. Don't say, "I want to..." but rather, "I will..." It's an important psychological distinction.

Step 3: Track your progress.

By now, you've set your goals. The next step is to start putting them into action. Write down your goals, and record the actions you take each day that bring you closer to achieving them. Commit to making one small change each week and keep building from there. For example, you could stop drinking fizzy drinks for a week. The following week, you could stop drinking all sugary beverages. It takes anywhere from one to six months to stick with a new behaviour, so keep at it and it will become a habit.

Step 4: Evaluate your results and adjust your approach.

The final step is to evaluate and review your performance each month. Ask yourself: What's working? What isn't? What are some different approaches you could try? For example, if you're struggling to progress and achieve your monthly goals, try using online behaviour-change tools.

Finally, if there's one thing you need to understand about how to be your own coach, it's this: your mindset will determine your success or failure.

Silence negative thoughts and frame everything positively (I am, I will, I can). Stay fully committed and you will succeed. Tell everyone you know about the behaviours you want to change. Not wanting to let people down is a powerful motivator for sticking to your goals. And don't be afraid to ask for help, especially from friends who have been through a similar experience.

Remember, at the end of the day, the only person standing in the way of your dreams is you.