"Couples often seek Life Coaching when they fall into a rut, having lost the ability to effectively communicate their dreams, hopes, and desires. In our younger years, we are filled with ideas and aspirations, not always fully understanding the motives behind our chosen goals or future milestones. In my practice, I guide couples to explore the 'why' behind their goals. For instance, many believe their long-term objectives are different. However, when they examine the reasons behind these goals—the underlying wants, needs, or desires—they often discover that their ambitions, in reality, align more closely than they initially thought." For example, a wife may yearn for a large family and a husband may yearn for a successful career. The long term overlapping "Why?" for both however is security. For her, she finds that in family and for him in career success and stability.
Leading a couple to find their mutual goals for the future requires establishing trust, revealing personal needs and forming compromises that will be aligned into one perspective. I usually begin with detailed interviews of each partner separately in order to understand their dreams, fears, and the financial future. This helps me to understand their different views and interests prior to the discussion of their goals as a pair. In the joint sessions, I conduct productive deliberations aimed at finding points of consensus as well as divergences. We inquire together about their common values, preferences of lifestyle, aspirations for a career and family as well wish regards to finances. This collaborative process allows us to reach a common vision that would represent the goals of partners as well as any contrasts in views. A case of success in this process is when I worked with a couple that had very opposite opinions on the retirement planning. One partner valued early retirement and more exciting living, while the other wished to build financial security first before retiring traditionally. By engaging in open communication and reflecting on the unique interests of each partner, we managed to identify a mutually acceptable plan for retirement that satisfied both partners’ desires. This also entailed coming up with an investment portfolio that would deliver growth opportunities while at the same time guaranteeing safety and security for future generations. With this collaboration, the couple felt confident and empowered about their financial future because of the set long-term goals. Both partners were able to follow the dreams that they shared while also meeting each other’s individual desires and concerns, thus achieving a solution which embodied their common vision of what is still ahead for them.