Normally people need to feel discomfort in order for them to reach the point where they decide to make changes in their lives. This is because most of us operate in a comfort zone and this dictates our choices and the amount that we will push ourselves to further our career, work-life balance, relationships, ourselves and other things in our lives. It is normally when things become uncomfortable that we make decisions about whether to make changes, get help, etc.

I had a fantastic conversation today with a new client who was evaluating Life Coaching during a free session. She used a wonderful analogy about the decision she had to make - whether to make changes or simply accept her situation as the new Status Quo and call that her comfort zone. (I asked her permission to share her analogy in an article.)

"I suppose it's like having a pain in your knee. After a while you become used to the pain and it you learn to live with and accept it. Every now and again you have flare-ups and you have to decide whether to go and see the doctor or learn to accept the new level of pain and live with it."

From my own experience of helping people to make changes, the initial decision to seek help is very much like this. The pain is the discomfort or pain you feel about your circumstances, situation or the elements of your life that are not how you wish them to be. Every now and again the flare-ups happen and you will have to make the decision to make changes (which may mean going to see a Life Coach) or learn to live with the new level of discomfort you are feeling.

Ultimately, the decision to get help is always yours to make and the bottom line is often that until you make that decision, things will continue as they are, or will get steadily worse. The patient who chooses not to see the doctor about his knee may eventually need surgery to correct a serious problem, whereas the patient who decides to go for help and makes changes to their lifestyle and gets appropriate treatment is likely to have a far better experience.

If you are in the process of deciding whether to get help from a Life Coach, counsellor, therapist etc. then consider how serious your discomfort is and how bad does it need to become before you will seek the help you need. Just like the patient with the knee pain, you are likely to have a far better life experience if you choose not to accept and absorb your discomfort, but tackle it head on with the help of a professional.