Carol Stanton's Life Coach in a Box is an adequate, though pricey, motivational package. However, it falls short of the implication of its title.
Be Your Own Life Coach
Can you be your own life coach? Carol Stanton's Life Coach in a Box seems to imply that you can be your own personal life coach. Life Coach in a Box falls far short of delivering on that. It is, though, an attractively packaged collection of motivational material. The box contains a set of cards and a journal. Sturdy cardboard cards are color coded for each of six life areas:
- spirituality,
- work,
- relationships,
- finances,
- recreation, and
- health.
Each card contains a motivational theme and suggested self-help instructions.
What Do Coaches Do?
Life coaches are trained to first listen carefully to a client's agenda before suggesting areas for growth. The coach then helps the client clarify goals while providing insights, support, and encouragement. With this understanding of the life coaching process, one might expect that Life Coach in a Box contains innovative, interactive material to simulate the coaching role. It doesn't.
Instead, Life Coach in a Box suggests the same eight steps for each area of life improvement:
- Reflection,
- Exploration,
- Intention,
- Challenges,
- Allies,
- Creativity, and
- Celebration.
The six life areas targeted are appropriate for personal development, as are the eight suggested action steps.
Life Coach Substitute?
Life Coach in a Box is an adequate self-help guide for personal development, though pricey at $19.95. It is not an effective substitute for the expertise and active involvement of a trained life coach. More information on coaching and certified coaches is available at the International Coach Federation.
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