Need a fresh start?

What do I want out of life? Where do I go from here? How can I achieve my goals? Am I doomed to have 2007 be a rerun of last year?

The beginning of the year is a time for reflection and seeking answers to those questions. Perhaps you’ve had a rough year and are looking to get your life in order. Maybe you just need some encouragement and help setting goals. If so, it may be time to enlist the help of a life coach.

“Coaching is like having a personal trainer for your life,” said Marjorie Helm, a Petaluma life coach for the past seven years. “A life coach means having someone in your corner to help you get back in the ring.”

Life coaching is a relatively new phenomenon, but the principle behind is simple. In the same way a coach encourages, trains and helps an athlete achieve a goal, a life coach encourages, trains and helps people achieve life goals.

The beginning of a new year is usually a busy time for coaches. “I have noticed that this time of year is big for it,” said Helm. “Life coaching is pretty cyclical. When any of us are in a time of transition, we begin to look for the kinds of support and information that can help us have a successful transition. Those are the folks I work with by and large.”

And just who benefits from having a personal life coach? “People who may wake up one morning and feel that something is missing in life, that there’s something else they want to do. Very often people I’ve met with have had great success in what they’ve been doing, but they just want help figuring out what the next step is.”

Those in need of some guidance, support, cheering on and accountability seek out a coach, particularly if they don’t already have someone in their life who fills that role. “A coach offers them someone to check in with and talk to about goals and the action steps to meet those goals,” said Helm. “I work with a variety of clients including young people who have finished college and are trying to figure out what the next step is and what to do with their lives.”

The process of life coaching may involve a variety of techniques depending on a client’s need. Helm uses structured methods for goal setting and visualization, which helps clients to project ahead about where they want to be in five or 10 years. “I’ve had clients who have never had someone ask them what their dream was for their life. I invite them to dream and have a place where that dream is honored and supported.

“About 70 percent of what happens in life coaching is just very deep listening. We start by discussing strengths. I have that belief that if we build on our strengths, we’re more likely to find the success and fulfillment we’re looking for.”

Helm uses a structured discovery process where the goal is to invite the client to look comprehensively and honestly at their life and look for where there’s balance, joy and passion. “I think all of us want to live our lives with a strong sense of meaning and purpose. We all want to live our values and make sure our lives reflect our values. We want relationships that bring joy and meaning too.

“I work with clients around their whole life and specifically around those areas of concern to them. The client brings the agenda and I’m the support person for helping them identify their dreams in any area they want to work on to bring that dream into reality.”

There’s also creativity coaching, which Helm said encourages the creative process and helps individuals identify their strengths and yearnings.

Life coach Jennifer Lee, founder of Change Journey Coaching, incorporates art into her practice. Though based in the East Bay, Lee is hosting a workshop, “Unfolding Your Life Vision,” at Skin Fitness Wellness Center in Petaluma on Jan. 27.

Through what Lee calls “art visioning” the workshop involves having participants make a collage book while being coached to create a personal work of art that will be a reminder of values, goals and personal visions. The workshop includes exercises to help individuals get in touch with their values and future vision, and instruction on how to put that vision into action.

“Art is not only a powerful way to express thoughts and feelings beyond words, it is also a tangible reminder to continue inspiring you on your journey,” said Lee.

Helm added, “My belief is that all of us can use this kind of assistance in our lives. Coaching is about getting a clear vision for our life. We can all use just the right nudge.”

(Contact Yovanna Bieberich at yovanna.bieberich@argus courier.com)