Want to become a Life Coach? Here’s What You Need to Know
Follow these steps to understand what role a life coach plays and what successful coaches bring to the table.
If you want to become a life coach, here are the key things to know.
But first, a little reminiscing. Back when I started my coaching training, I had no idea how to make it. And truth be told, I was very unclear about what I would be able to achieve.
I knew I wanted to make a difference and help people but when it came to how to make a living and run a business as a coach, things were as clear as mud.
Hundreds of coaching hours, tons of coaching sessions and many, many clients later, I was finally able to grasp what it takes to become a successful coach and run a successful coaching business.
I achieved this through the use of 3 key principles that I learned in my coach training:
- Invest in my coaching education(you can either educate yourself and get ahead of the curve, rather than taking the slow, trial and error approach)
- Learned to say yes and work out how (rather than waiting for the "perfect" moment to happen, because guess what? It never does!)
- Associate with people who are already ahead of me (this saved me a huge amount of time and effort, I could just tap into their expertise which they spent years accumulating and get faster results)
Because you're reading this, I am curious about why you want to become a life coach.
Are you someone who wants to listen to others and feels the urge to help them?
Maybe you deeply care about others...
And perhaps you too wish to make a positive difference in your own life as well as of those around you...
If you said yes, then life coaching might be the right career pathway for you.
Find out more by reading the full blog post here.
Read on to find out what you need to know about being a life coach.
What Role Does a Life Coach Play
A life coach's job is to help their clients overcome fear and self-doubt. They help clients set meaningful goals so they can create a life on their terms.
The ultimate goal for you, as a life coach, is to help your client get from where they are to where they need to be.
The key difference here is that a life coach can help the client get from where they are to where they want to be much more rapidly.
A coach:
- is open to change
- is ready to listen to the client – not just that, but also genuinely curious
- wants to constantly improve and use all the resources available
- ready to take risks and stretch outside the comfort zone
- cares about others
What Successful Coaches Bring to their Coaching Sessions
Flexibility
Your clients will be different from each other and thus adapting your techniques will help you serve your client in the best way possible. Everyone sees things differently; try seeing things from their perspective and offer help in a way that they can understand.
Participation
Instead of telling your client what they did wrong or what they need to do, you can ask how they feel or how they would like to set as their goals. This allows them to develop self-awareness and skills needed to make decisions. Also allowing them to openly express how they feel may strengthen the relationship between the two of you.
Care
An effective coach cares about their clients and wants them to succeed by empathising with them.
Be patient but also firm
Allow your client to grow and learn but also make sure they stick to the plan that they have outlined for themselves so that they are on track. You want your client to feel comfortable during your sessions but also you want them to progress.
Remember that you can never know it all
Be open to learning right alongside your client so you can both improve. Also be open to always learning new ways to coach so that you can adapt to new situations and clients.
See things from different perspectives
No one thinks in the exact same way, which means no one will have the exact same goals and solutions. You and your client need to work together to come up for what is best for your client. Listen to their opinions on the sessions and how their progress is going.
Help your client reach their potential
Assist them in becoming the action initiator in their environment rather than the reactor to their environment. Assist them in building the courage to take control of their decisions and lives.
Understand there is no failure
Be open to feedback and criticism. When making a mistake, learn from it and use it as a positive rather than focussing on the negative. Successful coaches trust that there is no failure, only feedback - as you adopt that perception, you will become more open and free to new experiences.
Take responsibility
Take 100% responsibility for the results you get, whether are good or bad. Don’t blame others or use excuses. You are in control of you.
Be curious
Always seek to learn and embrace uncertainty. Coaches and clients benefit from venturing into the unknown in order to create the ideal for the both of them. Allow the client to see your willingness to embrace uncertainty. The two of you need to be ready to go outside of your usual status quo in order be open to all solutions, and whilst in this state your client can create new ways of solving their problems.
What You Need to Become a Successful Life Coach
There are no specific degrees for being a life coach as of yet, so you do not need a masters or a PhD. Most Life Coaching institutes would require you to study social skills, how to communicate to others and to undertake a program that furthers these skills. Social work, teaching, counselling and business consulting can all help you develop the skills you may need for becoming a Life Coach.
The Coaching Institute offers four core coaching programs that have recognition under the International Coach Guild.
Learn more about our courses here.
Your Turn!
If you feel this is for you, explore your options by getting in touch with the WOW team at 1800 094 927. When you call in, you will get an opportunity to speak with real-life coaches who are making a difference in the lives of others right now and get your questions answered around coaching and creating a life on your terms.
Strive to reach for more, and to always be open to new experiences. Life is about giving to others, and as a coach you will always be helping your clients to become the best version of themselves whilst you to learn the best version of yourselves.
REMI PEARSON
She is the Founder of The Coaching Institute and through our world-class coaching training programs, best-selling books, the #Perspectives podcast, and the Ultimate You Quest movement, she helps people like you live your dream, become your most authentic self, and make a difference through meaningful action.
