Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about coaching:

A: A coach equips you to reassess and reorganise your life in terms of personal or career development. Life Coaches identify and develop hidden talents and other personal resources in order to improve your daily life and help you to meet personal goals. A coach will move you forward much quicker than if you tried to do it on your own. A. By a coach really listening to what you are saying (and what you are not saying) they will be enabled to ask insightful questions that get to the real core of the issue being discussed. By having no agenda of their own, opinions or pre- conceived ideas, they will extract and identify the best in you and equip you with the tools to enable you to build a future as you would like it to be. A. That depends entirely on the issues raised, circumstances, and your personal budget. The only commitment Aiming Higher asks of you is that you are 100% committed to wanting change and to move forward in your life. Coaching is only as successful as the commitment you put into it. We strongly recommend that a minimum of 4 sessions be undertaken to start to achieve real results. In a lot of cases, you will be making 'life-long' changes and ridding yourself of self- limiting beliefs which have been built up over many years. These changes will not happen overnight. Providing you are giving your 100% commitment to the process (i.e. completing agreed tasks) you will see real results in as little as 3-4 weeks. To begin with, coaching is most effective if undertaken weekly, fortnightly, or 3 sessions a month, again dependent upon your budget. It is recommended not to leave too long between sessions initially, as the momentum and motivation could be lost. A. ABSOLUTELY. We positively encourage it. A free consultation enables you to find out whether coaching is right for you. You can ask your coach any questions that the website may not have covered. You can get to know your coach, and importantly, build a rapport, which is vital in a successful coaching relationship. There is no obligation whatsoever following this consultation and it is completely up to you to decide whether you want to take it any further. You will not be pressured or bombarded with phone calls and e-mails. A. Counselling is about the 'now' and the 'past' and how the past is affecting our lives today. Coaching leaves the past where it belongs and focuses on creating the future you want. It is about growth and development and requires a high level of commitment. There are similarities in that both require a high level of listening skills and empathy and compassion, but with coaching you will be encouraged and challenged to set yourself goals with timeframes for achieving them. A. NEVER! Any ethical coach who adheres to the strict procedures laid down by their respective accreditation awarding body will never tell you what to do. It is entirely the client's decision as to what they decide to do. A coach may offer a suggestion, but only with permission, and that suggestion can be either accepted, rejected or modified. A. You could be asked to complete an exercise called 'The Wheel of Life' in which you categorise the different areas of your life and give each area a score according to how satisfied you are with it. i.e. 1 - 10 (10 being completely satisfied, and 1 completelyunsatisfied). Which issue, if you could resolve it, would have the biggest impact on your life at this moment? How would this issue, if resolved, affect the other areas of your wheel of life? A. Not at all. Up to 90% of coaching takes place over the telephone, making it accessible to anyone, anywhere in the world. I welcome 'face-to-face' sessions for anyone local, or anyone willing to travel to my practice. A. We at Aiming Higher are truly committed to wanting you to be successful. We pride ourselves on our passion and reputation for getting to the 'real core' of issues raised and for the supportive and nurturing environment in which this takes place. You are assured that everyone associated with Aiming Higher is professionally qualified and conducts themselves to the highest professional and ethical standards as laid down by the accreditation body's Code of Conduct. Read our client testimonials and see for yourself the results that can be achieved by 'Aiming Higher'.