Go from “Fine” to “Fabulous”
5 Steps to Improving Your Life Right NOW

Any given day, we respond “fine” or “ok” to friends and acquaintances who ask “How are you?” Wouldn’t it be great to respond “fabulous” or “spectacular” instead? Enter your life coach! If you're thinking about how to design your best life, then life coaching may be right for you. More and more people are looking to a life coach for help in moving forward in their life. Coaching can be a valuable tool in helping you identify and achieve your personal and professional goals.

Are you thrilled with your life as it is right now? Are you in the perfect relationship that brings you joy? Are you experiencing success after success in your career? Did you finally loose those last 7 pounds? Do you have more than enough time to connect with friends and family? Is your bank account overflowing with “rainy day” funds? No? Keep reading!

Coaching is a process designed to get you from where you are today to where you want to be tomorrow by helping you to take necessary steps toward your goals.

Finding the life coach that’s right for you involves several factors: the professional skills and expertise of the coach, the coach’s style, and the right “personality fit” between coach and client. Calling your potential coach for a consultation is the best way to determine if that coach is the right one for you.

What happens next? You and your coach will begin with assessments designed to determine your strongest strengths, goals, and dreams. You identify barriers standing between you and the achievement of your goals. Next, you create a plan for removing barriers, “amplifying” or turning up the volume on your strengths, and building skills and capabilities you will need to be successful. You and your coach agree on the length of the coaching relationship and develop a plan for working together. Imagine life coaching like this: you are in the driver’s seat and your coach is riding shotgun with the road map. You’ve chosen where you want to go. Your coach gives you the directions to get there.

Getting started on the road to your best life takes hard work, commitment and confidence. The five steps listed here will get you on your way:

1. Take a “Life Inventory.”
Write down the following words on a sheet of paper: love, career, family, finances, friends, education, recreation, spirituality, image, mental and physical health, and sexuality. Rate your satisfaction in each area on a scale from 1-10. Which areas please you most? Which need attention?

2. Determine your strengths!
What are you best at? What do you enjoy? When do you feel most confident? What makes you happy to be you? Actually write this list down. This is a difficult task for many people. Put your strengths in writing and come up with at least ten. Ask friends and family for suggestions if you really struggle with this.

3. Got confidence?
Going from fine to fabulous requires utmost confidence in yourself and your abilities. Choose your top three strengths and “amplify” them. Is being funny a top strength? Use your sense of humor as much as you can every day. Share it with others. Are you an expert at budgeting? Offer to help family and friends create a budget. A superb chef? Make a dish you’ve never tried, or better yet—teach someone how to make one of your favorites. Using your strengths helps to boost your confidence.

4. Start from scratch!
Identify who and what you really want to be and do. If you could start from scratch, which areas of your life would you create anew? If you could design your best life—your ideal life—what would it look like? Create an image in your mind and study it. Write down your observations.

5. Play the match game!
Match your life inventory to the image of your ideal life. Where are the gaps? Let’s say your ideal life involves a salary of $500,000 a year but your current income is significantly less. Your ideal life may involve a mad, passionate sex life, but your mate is more of a bore in the bedroom. Your cup overflows with friends and family who want to spend time with you, yet you long for alone time to meditate and rejuvenate. Pick your top three goals, identify the gaps, and make a plan for each. Make your goals big and bold. After all, we are going for fabulous, aren’t we?

Take these steps and you will be well on your way to creating your ideal life. If the list seems daunting, never fear! A life coach can work through these initial steps with you and act as a partner in getting you to your destination. Whether you’re happy with “fine” or on your way to “fabulous,” remember three things: take deep breaths, drink plenty of water, and stay away from stressful people. That sounds like a fabulous start, doesn't it?