This month marks 6 years since I officially launched my coaching business and website.  Over the last 6 years, I’ve completed my coaching certification, have written more than 150 blog posts, plus weekly, fortnightly, and monthly newsletters, emails and social media posts. And as a career and life coach, business coach, mentor and consultant, I’ve worked with fabulous clients and created more than a dozen programmes. I’ve also launched, chaired, run and joined Mastermind programs, and worked with executive coaches myself. I’ve been nominated for coaching and business awards, invested in further professional development, and rebranded and pivoted my business during this time.

When I paused to reflect on all I’ve experienced through this time, I realised many of the insights and growth occurred because I had a moment of courage and enrolled to retrain as a coach.  One year earlier, the idea of retraining and starting my own coaching business was not on my radar. But, once the idea took hold, moving out of my comfort zone and pursuing a coaching qualification and certification was all I could think about.

The professional and personal growth plus learnings I’ve had as a result of following that dream have had an impact in my career as a coach, in my business and in my life too.

Here are the top 6 things I’ve learned.

6 key learnings after 6 years as a certified coach

1.    Be open to inspiration

Whether it’s in your life, career or business, sources of inspiration can be found anywhere and everywhere! 

Around a year or so after I’d launched my coaching business and had completed my coaching certification, I was asked where I found inspiration to write blog posts, as I had written a new weekly post for a year. My response then still holds now – inspiration is everywhere.   

If you’re looking for inspiration to change your role or career, start a business or mix things up in your life, there is always someone else who has done something similar which can inspire us to do the same. 

Often, the link between your new desire and the inspiration behind it is obvious; for example, reading a book set in Italy and developing a hankering for pizza! 😉 But other times, inspiration comes from unrelated and unexpected sources. And this is the real learning – being OPEN to inspiration is the key. Expecting to only be inspired when you are sitting at your desk or in a meeting is a sure-fire way to experience disappointment and frustration. Instead, keeping our minds open and receptive to all the wonders around us, ensures we are ready to receive and embrace inspiration when it arrives.

Your turn

Many of my clients over the years have expressed they no longer feel inspired or motivated by their careers. They have lost their inspiration.  In these instances, some journaling can be a great place to start. Two questions to prompt you to reconnect with your inspiration; When you were 7 years old, what did you love to do? What might that look like as an adult? 

2.    Invest in quality

The importance of investing in quality, and up-levelling where possible is a key learning.  Whether it be the professionals you work with or the hardware you use like your computer and phone, having the best quality you can afford saves time and money in the long run. The adage you get what you pay for is certainly true in all of these areas!

The same learning applies when investing in people to support you on your career, business, or life journey. I invest in great, qualified coaches and experts to support me in my business and life. As a Certified Coach, I provide the same professional support to my coaching clients. 

Your turn

Where are you choosing the ‘this will do’ option instead of investing in what would really make a difference in your life?  Upgrading one small thing, whether it be the quality of your daily tea or coffee, or bigger, like your LinkedIn profile picture, can make a huge difference to your sense of self-worth and confidence.

3.    Self-care is important

Prior to becoming a certified coach and running my own coaching business, my self-care was less of a priority.

The importance of self-care, for myself, as well as my clients, has become increasingly evident over the past years. By self-care, I refer not to the self-care industry but to the actions we take to deeply care for ourselves. This includes rest and relaxation, as well as pursuing experiences that restore our energy and light us up. Self-care is a set of personal strategies that help us live a well-balanced, harmonious life.  It’s also doing what you need to stay grounded in your body and be emotionally well.

When we look after ourselves through self-care, we are better able to show up as the best version of ourselves.  When we are busy or experiencing a lot of change, self-care is especially important.

Your turn

With this definition of self-care, where might you benefit from a little more focus on your self-care?  (Not sure you have time for self-care? These ideas might help)

4.    Find your people & surround yourself with them

This is always important in any career, business or in your life. We find our people and they see us through the ups and downs of life. Certainly, these past two years has shown the importance of knowing those who will have your back, and those who you will genuinely want to spend time with when you are limited with whom you can spend time.

In our career, business and life, knowing there is at least one person we can turn to who will encourage us, ask the hard questions and support our dreams are vital.

The importance of this learning has been clear to me since the first day I voiced my dream to retrain as a life coach and achieve my certification. The support of my family and key friends meant I felt confident to embrace the change.

However, we don’t always have people already in our life who understand our dreams. Sometimes we need to go out and find them. This is where seeking a mentor, joining a mastermind or being part of a professional association can assist, especially if we are making a significant career, business, or life change.

Your turn

Whilst spending time in person with your people is always wonderful, the last two years have shown that physically being in the same room is not always necessary for genuine connection. There are many online programs, groups or memberships that facilitate and include deeper connections amongst like-minded individuals. If you have amazing family and friends, but they don’t understand your dreams, or aren’t on the same journey, checking out a few online options could be the next right action for you.

5.    Change is a constant 

In our adventures in our career, or business, or even in our life, learning that it is okay to change our mind and change direction, or pivot our business or career can be liberating. After all, change is a constant! 

Many of my clients work with me on this issue; seeking a career change, to start a new business or to shift their life in some way. As I mentioned above, I have done the same during the six years I worked as a certified coach. As well as the original shift from a corporate HR professional to HR consultant and then to coaching, I have changed the focus on what type of work I do with my clients and embraced new offers and ways of working, including a different clientele.

Yes, making a change can be scary, but so can staying in a role or situation where you feel stuck.

Your turn

If you are currently going through a time of change, or feel ready for a change, the experience can be improved by seeking professional support from a certified coach (that’s me). With a range of coaching options to suit all situations, get in touch to learn more.

6.    Continue to learn and develop 

In life, we continue to learn and develop, regardless of what we do. It’s simply what happens! However, in the areas of our career and business, we can actively choose to be the leader of our life and continue to embrace opportunities to learn, stretch ourselves and develop as individuals, in our field of professional expertise and as business owners.

Over the past years, as I mentioned above, I’ve actively engaged with learning in a variety of fields, from areas of professional interest and benefit to areas that were initially purely for self-interest. What I’ve been reminded of time and again is that ALL learning helps us grow, develop and reconsider our previous perceptions and re-examine prior knowledge. And that’s a very good thing!

Your turn

What are you interested in? Identify how you could learn more about it. Perhaps there is a great book you could read, a podcast to listen to or a YouTube video to watch, or even complete a short course. Once you’ve identified the relevant resource, make an appointment with yourself to actually spend the time learning about the topic or subject. I promise you won’t regret it!

Learnings + experience = Confidence Boost

The biggest impact of the learnings in all these areas has been on my confidence. Over the past 6 years, I’ve grown as a person and learned more about coaching, my clients, running a solo business and myself (as well as a myriad of other things!). I’ve gained experience and expertise, had my boundaries tested (many times), worked with amazing people (and a few I’d rather forget), faced my fears and been stretched well beyond my comfort zone.  

All of which have directly contributed to who I am now, the learnings and insights I’ve gained AND boosted my confidence. 

There you have it, my 6 learnings - all because I dared to follow my dream of becoming a certified coach.

How about you? Do you pause, reflect, and celebrate your past achievements and accomplishments? Do you look back at the things you have done in your life and marvel at how much you have learned during a certain time?

More Support 

Reading about my learnings and acting on the suggestions included here can certainly help you take steps to feel more confident. Another way we can support ourselves is through membership of a Mastermind or group of like-minded people.

If this resonates with you, and you’re looking to have support as you learn and grow, plus would like to gain greater clarity, and feel more confident, Life by Design may be a good fit for you. Life by Design provides all this, plus the enjoyment of regular support and accountability offered by a group of like-minded women.

Alternatively, if a group program is not your thing, a customised one-on-one coaching program with me, a certified coach, can provide even greater benefits.  

As a certified career, business, and life confidence coach, I support people to make the changes they desire, so they can feel more aligned, purposeful, and confident in their careers, business, and life. Coaching is a two-way relationship, so to get to know each other before we decide if coaching is right for you, I provide a comprehensive pre-coaching questionnaire and complimentary consult where together we can explore the changes you desire, answer your questions, and determine if I am the right coach for you.

To get started, simply book your complimentary consult.