I believe intuition is my best guidance and whenever I listen to it, life gives me something crazy good.

Below is a featured interview with happiness coach, Susanna Halonen. Learn to be happy and be a success!

Us: How did you start coaching?
Susanna: I got inspired by my own coach! I used to be an unhappy employee in the corporate world but luckily the one thing the company I worked for did offer me was personal development. They gave me a coach for me to work with and in one session I got the confidence I needed to explore options outside the corporate world – and in fact have a whole five year vision in place. It was this experience that inspired me to become a coach and to start helping others to get the clarity and confidence I got through coaching. After this session I started to take little steps towards this. I read books on coaching, started following life coaches that inspired me, did an introductory weekend on coaching and eventually did a full on coaching accreditation, as well as a Masters of Science in Applied Positive Psychology. After that it was full speed forward!

Us: What do you love most about coaching?
Susanna: Seeing people change in front of my eyes. Seeing how they become more confident in who they are and what they want, and start taking the actions to create their dream lives. It’s so inspiring to be a part of their journey! I also love how each session and each client teaches me their own lessons too. Often the challenges I help them through are challenges I used to go through myself, and it’s a great reminder for me to realize how far I’ve come as well as discover new ideas to test out in my own life. Even though I play the coach role in these relationships, they are just as much as an inspiration for me as I am to them.

Us: How do you help people to reach their goals or find their path/purpose in life?
Susanna: Step-by-step. The first session I have with a new client is often focused on what they’re looking to get out of the coaching and to start getting clearer on what kind of change they’re looking for in themselves or in their lives. The sessions that follow go on to explore your drivers, motivations and dreams in a deeper level – with each session ending with a clear action plan for you to take before the next session. Clarity comes from action so it’s important that you always commit to some kind of action at the end of every session. If you come to me looking to find your path and purpose, we will often do a lot of work on your values, strengths and visualizing your best possible life. Together these things then help create something to work towards which then enables us to create a plan for you to start working towards it.

Us: What kind of transformations have your clients experienced?
Susanna: They have gotten the confidence to go into a performance review and ask for a promotion. They have gotten the courage to change industries and get a job they love. They have gotten the clarity on what kind of change they want in their lives, and started creating that change step by step. They have left corporate jobs, started their own businesses, eliminated stress and the symptoms that follow it, and stopped worrying about unnecessary things. They have experienced all kinds of transformations from mindset changes to behavior changes to complete redesigns of their lives.

Us: If someone needs some inspiration or motivation, what would you tell them?
Susanna: Inspiration and motivation are energy forces that sit within you. If you feel like you don’t have them at the moment, you must realize they are stuck somewhere in your own body and mind. There is no one in the world that can hand you inspiration or motivation – though they can play a role in encouraging you to let them out. When I work with clients who are not feeling inspired, I tell them to finish every day by writing down three things they were grateful for in that day. Done repeatedly for at least 21 days in a row, this starts to shift their perspective to a more positive one and as a result one more open to inspiration. For motivation I ask people to identify people in their lives that they are inspired by and people who truly encourage them. I tell them to identify why those people are inspiring to them – and to follow them closely (perhaps online) so they can keep that inspiration flowing & gain the motivation to work towards becoming inspiring in their own ways themselves. I tell them to spend as much time as they can with their tribe – the people that energize them and encourage them. I also tell them to be clear about their why because the clearer they are about why they do things, the clearer their motivation will be to do them.

Us: What attitudes or beliefs have helped you be successful in your own life?
Susanna: Take care of yourself first and foremost because if you don’t do that, then you won’t be fit and healthy to take care of others. Start with self-compassion and then expand that to universal compassion. Whenever in doubt of what to do, put your hand on your heart and ask “What does my heart tell me to do?”. Your intuition is your ally and make sure you stay connected to it. It surpasses the rational mind in so many ways so it’s important to listen to it even when your rational mind might be shouting something else. In the end, your heart is always right. Make decisions with your heart and then take action with your rational mind.

Us: What holds most people back from creating the life that they want?
Susanna: Fear and lack of confidence. Fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of success, fear of change. The craziest part of it all is that fear doesn’t even exist. It’s a complete illusion and only exists in your mind. Yet it’s so powerful it can completely take over your mind and body, and even your decisions! Fear is something you need to learn to manage in the right way so it doesn’t stop you from doing what you want to do. Lack of confidence is also something that holds people back. You’re naturally self-critical so you often focus on the things that you’re bad at and all the failures you’ve had. You need to completely shift your focus to your best qualities and what you do well. Once you focus on that, you’ll gain the confidence to go after what you want.

Us: Why is one-on-one coaching so powerful for transformation?
Susanna: One-to-one coaching is the best investment you can give yourself if you want to live your best possible life. It’s the most powerful tool to create change in your life – or in your mindset – because each millisecond of the coaching session is customized to you. There is no one size fits all and that’s why one-to-one coaching is an amazing way for you to get deep into your subconscious and access your beliefs – because change always starts with self-awareness. Just like a personal trainer gives you the tools to get your body fit and reach your health goals, a life coach gives you the tools to get your mind fit and for you to reach your life goals. After all, life is for living and it’s too short to do it in a half-arsed way.