In a recent conversation with a colleague we were bemoaning the fact that people just don’t seem to “get” coaching and would rather go for a quick fix, just as I recently did by taking a day out at a spa near Chester. And it was absolutely lovely but how long does that feeling last? A day? Two days at most. There is no lasting change. I couldn’t count the number of life coaching clients who have said to me over the years “I know I’ll feel better after a holiday”. I remember myself saying exactly the same when I was experiencing mental ill health. Holidays were like an oasis in the chaos of the rest of my life. So I had my holiday and within days it was back to normal. Do you recognize that?

We now know that engaging in a coaching programme over a period of at least three months can deliver real and lasting behavioural change. This is because of the “neuroplasticity” of the brain. For many years we thought that after a certain relatively young age our brains were fixed and there was nothing we could do to change the way we functioned in our lives. But what neural imaging techniques have shown is that we can create new pathways in our brains within three months. Imagine these pathways being channels in the sand; the more water we pour into them the deeper they become. Think the same about these pathways; the more we focus our attention on doing things differently, the more we focus on thinking positively the more ingrained will these pathways become.

I know that the process of life coaching has helped me change my thoughts, feelings and behavior . I have a much more rewarding and fulfilling life and a much more positive outlook and I have seen the same with my clients. A massage, a holiday, a new dress even are fabulous but they don’t give us all of that.