HOW TO PREPARE FOR A SUCCESSFUL COACHING CALL

If you've decided to take on a life coach that tells me that you're a person who's up to big things in their life. Many people, some of them are your friends, family, colleagues, that have murmured, "I think I want coaching," aren't brave enough to put in the work -- but you're actually in the game - on the court! Now that you've committed to a life coach -- show up!

And I'm not just talking about being on time but show up fully!

We take ourselves out of the "game of our lives" when we show up small to things: work, dates, friend meet ups, etc. Usually, we show up small, because we're incomplete with something or someone. Example -- I may show up late for a work meeting or cancel it all together because I haven't completed the report that's expected of me -- so I create avoidance. How you "are" in one area of your life is how you "are" in all areas of your life.

Drama queens don't just create drama at work -- they create it in their relationships, with friends, etc. You're getting the picture, right?You don't want to show up small on your coaching calls--even if that's why you've sought out a coach! Lily Tomlin once said, "The road to success is always under construction." Yes, Lily, girl, you had me at construction! And now that you're on the road -- don't forget to put gas in the car and get stuck on some lonely freeway with no one around to flag!

Here are three tips to keep in mind to ensure you show up fully with your life coach:

1. Be On Time:

The first things that takes us out of the game is being late. Why? Because we start to make ourselves wrong and that takes over the entire call. Now, because you're WRONG, you can't be present on the call or your mind travels to that space where all YOUR WRONGNESS lives. You might start off thinking you're wrong because you were late -- but before you know it, you're going down the list of ALL the things you've done WRONG in your life. STOP IT. Set alarms, calendar reminders to prevent from being late. You are "cause in the matter" when it comes to your life -- you are in charge--begin to live life as so. And here's the kicker -- you might set up alarms, reminders, and things will still pop up that will knock you upside the head and distract you, and now you're 5 minutes late for your call. WHAT? Yeah, the world is set up to trigger you, and it's okay -- you can handle this. YOU ARE BIGGER than your triggers! Yes! If you end up late for yet another call -- own it, apologize, and let it go! You want to clear it with your coach immediately so you can be SO PRESENT on your call in order to get all the good discoveries waiting for you!

‍Bonus tip. If you're call is at 10am -- be ready by 9:55am, so you can dial when 10am strikes! Talk about being ready! (Also, if this is the time you start to prep for your call and something does come up, you can quickly shoot out an email or text to say you're not available for the next hour or so)

2. Be Prepared:

Did you have homework? Were you supposed to make calls and report back progress? Make sure you have what you need to be fully present with your life coach. You coach is ready and prepared -- you should reflect that. And if you're not -- get it cleared so you can be powerful on your call. And under no circumstances, LIE. If you haven't done your work, fess up--that may be the topic of the session, "Why can't you follow through?" And that's just the breakthrough you need to be success in life, work and relationships!

I had a client who showed up late for her 2nd coaching call and had not done her homework. She was so angry on the phone with me and started to argue. She brought up the fact that she needed more flexibility with her coaching calls and went on and on. She wasn't angry at me -- she was angry at herself and this is how she showed up...ANGRY, whenever she felt things were out of her control. It was actually perfect that she was late AND hadn't done her homework because we could dig in and discover all the "why's". Turns out, she was overbooked and over committed to things at work and at home and it was causing her to show up late at work, meetings and she became the unreliable friend who cancelled all the time. The impact was that her boss stayed angry with her, didn't trust she'd get her work done and kept removing her from projects. In her personal life, her friends where no longer inviting her to gathering and she was feeling very lonely and isolated. She discovered that she hated the industry she was working in and started looking for a new job in the arts! Once she got clear on that -- she self-corrected her "being late" issues and never canceled on her friends again. She's still looking for a new job, but at least she's clear on why she kept showing in her life the way she was -- BREAKTHROUGH!

3. Be Paid Up:

Nothing makes a client show up small than owing their coach for past or current sessions. STOP IT. And if you need to workout a payment arrangement, talk to you coach -- especially since they're your partner in being fully self-expressed! Don't let this be what stops you from creating those breakthroughs in your life! Let your life coach know that you need help in figuring out your budget or something came up and this weeks' payment will be late -- just be in communication and don't sabotage yourself. Are finances something that always throw a curveball in your life's game? If it's a yes, then it shouldn't come as a shock that it's a pattern and you might need to create a coaching plan around it. Don't have your coach chase payments down -- there is a loss of power on your end and it will continue to create negative impacts on your life. Get paid up!

If you've committed to coaching -- don't allow anything to stop your GREATNESS from fully showing up on calls. It's that greatness that we can see in you and why we took you on as a client in the first place. Do you have a life coach? What's your favorite part about coaching? What do you love about your coach?Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash