Should You Become a Life Coach?
Achieving Goals, Career Discovery, Entrepreneurship
It’s tough to find people who already have their lives figured out. More often than not, people are still struggling with their own life. They’re usually unsure about where they are right now and what kind of path they want to take for their future. This is just one of the reasons why working with a life coach can be considered a necessity rather than a luxury. A life coach allows people to have a better perspective in life, making it easy for them to navigate through it.
If you think you’re someone who’s qualified to help people in this kind of way, consider working as a life coach. Although uncommon to some, working as a life coach can be rewarding. Aside from being able to help people on a more personal level, becoming a life coach is also a good career change because of the following reasons:
1. You can provide clarity to other people’s lives.
Many individuals don’t know where they want to go with their lives. They know they’re unhappy, but they can’t seem to figure out the reason why and how they can get out of their current situation. A life without a clear direction can lead to a lot of wasted time living in a way that’s not aligned with who you are and what you value. If you want other people to live a fruitful life, work as a life coach. This career is rewarding because you can make enough money as a coach while also providing clarity to other people’s lives.
Through life coaching, you can help your clients set goals and determine what they should and could do with their own lives. Your professional guidance can do wonders in a person’s life because once you’re able to let your clients set goals—goals that they actually want—they will likely take action to achieve it. Your role as a life coach will continue because after setting these goals, you will have to provide a step-by-step plan on how your clients can successfully achieve their objectives.
2. You can provide unbiased feedback to your clients.
Your clients will have their own social circle. They will usually run to these people whenever they have problems. However, if they run to the same people all the time, they will likely experience the same issues as well. They will have limited sources for advice and guidance, but with your help, it doesn’t have to be the same way anymore.
When your clients turn to you for their problems, they are given the unbiased opinions of someone not directly involved in the situation. Unlike the advice they can get from their friends and family, yours are more objective and qualified because you’ll be training and certified through an organization like the iNLP Center before you work as a life coach. You will carefully study your client and the situation they’re in at the moment, allowing you to give out more practical and realistic advice. You will consider all possible factors first before letting your clients do anything with their lives, which will help you come up with unbiased feedback.
3. You can bridge the gap between where your clients are now and where they want to be.
It’s common to hear stories about how people have simply stayed within their comfort zones. For instance, they would continue working with the same company for decades, thinking that this is the best option for them to grow professionally. If your clients are doing this, then they will likely go nowhere in life or will be stuck in the same place as they currently are. They will be stagnant and miss a lot of opportunities. Working as a life coach can be an effective medium for you to push other people out of their comfort zones, allowing them to test their limits and make the most out of their lives.
With your professional help, your clients will be introduced to other aspects of their personalities—aspects that they’re usually unaware of—and open their eyes to more opportunities for growth. You will be providing them with real-life and practical advice on how they can achieve more things in life.
4. You can help overcome insecurities, obstacles, and issues on self-image and confidence.
Being pessimistic and too conscious about how people think of you is dangerous. This kind of mindset can take a toll on your life and can prevent you from enjoying it. If you don’t want other people to suffer this mentality, working as a life coach is an excellent option for your next career.
Your role as a life coach is to change this mindset into optimism. You will provide different techniques and strategies on how your clients can overcome negativity and move forward. The thoughts you will instill in your clients’ minds can be their motivation to do more in life regardless of how imperfect they may be. As a life coach, you will teach your clients how to love their flaws and encourage them to be better.
5. You can enhance your clients’ communication skills.
In connection to the previous point, it’ll be easier for your clients to express themselves once their insecurities and pessimistic thoughts are kept at bay. As a result, your clients will be able to communicate better, regardless of the people in front of them.
Aside from this, your client’s communication skills will gradually improve as you will require them to convey their emotions and thoughts whenever they’re seeing you. It is imperative for your clients to open up to you so you can know them better, and understand where they want to be in life.
6. You can help other people with their tasks at hand.
In a business setup, a boss will tell an employee what he or she should do every day. The boss will usually lay down all the tasks to be done in a specific period, and the employee is expected to comply. Your role as a life coach typically works in the same way. Instead of having a boss look over a person’s shoulders, you will guide your clients on the things they should do on a daily basis. This guidance can go a long way, especially if your clients feel like they have already hit a dead end with their lives. You’ll professionally help them determine which tasks need to be prioritized and which should come next.
With this kind of help, your clients can focus on accomplishing one task at a time, rather than going all over the place. As a result, your clients will become more productive.
7. You can reduce the stress and anxiety of your clients.
The mental health of your clients can make or break the quality of life they’ll have in the long run. If they always experience stress and anxiety, they won’t be able to focus, making it challenging for them to accomplish a single task. This can become the reason why they’ll miss out on opportunities in both their careers and relationships. But because of the professional guidance, you can give to your clients, you will help them minimize stress and anxiety. You can help them balance all the responsibilities they currently have so they can get their lives in order.
8. You can provide unconditional support and motivation.
Because of the impact you’ll have on other people’s lives, you can consider working as a life coach as being a friend to your clients. Aside from providing guidance on how your clients should live their lives, you are responsible for providing them with unconditional support and motivation. Once you’ve provided strategies and techniques for your clients, you should be with them throughout the entire process and assess the progress they have made. You should also come up with alternatives if Plan A doesn’t work.
How Can You Become A Life Coach?
There are a lot of reasons why becoming a life coach is a good career change. This career even allows you to touch the lives of your clients, which is something you can’t experience from many other careers. Before you can function as a life coach, however, you still have to undergo several processes. As mentioned, your role as a life coach will create a huge impact on your clients’ lives so you should be skilled and trained for the job. Before you can create a career as a life coach, you have to comply with the following requirements first:
1. Understand what a life coach does and doesn’t do.
A lot of people have misconceptions about the role of a life coach. This is probably the reason why paying for a life coach is still considered as new or uncommon to some. If you’re eyeing to work as a life coach soon, make sure that you truly understand what your role is, and know your scope and limitations. Aside from the information in this article, take the time to research more about the career of a life coach. The more information you have, the easier it is for you to be successful in this field.
2. Find your life-coaching niche.
As the name suggests, life coaching means helping your clients steer their lives in a better direction. Your skills and experience should help them towards the right path in achieving their goals. However, for you to do this, you have to decide what your life-coaching niche is. Are you planning to help clients to improve their wellness? Or are you more comfortable in improving their lives through spirituality? Once you know what your life-coaching niche is, building a career can become easier as you’ll be guided on the steps you’ll have to take.
3. Get a life coaching certification.
Depending on your location and skills, there will be a handful of organizations that offer life coaching certifications. Scout for these organizations and inquire about the requirements for you to get the certification. This task should on top of your to-do list so you’ll still have time to prepare whatever is required of you. You may have to comply with certain documents, so it pays to be ready.
4. Determine the right career path that’s right for you
You can practice life coaching through your own business or working as one in a reputable organization. Each of these career paths has its own set of pros and cons, so make sure that you weigh your options properly.
Starting your career as a life coach can require a lot of things. Although time-consuming and stressful, you need to comply with all the necessary requirements to ensure that your business can operate for the longest time possible.
Starting your own life coaching business:
Pros
- You can usually choose the schedule you’re going to work.
- You can improve your people skills since you’ll be required to be hands-on with the business.
- You’ll have better chances of earning more income.
Cons
- You’ll have to determine what are the business requirements in your state and comply with all of these before operating.
- You’ll have no assurance that your business will actually fly.
- You’ll have to provide a substantial financial investment.
Working as a life coach within a specific organization such as ALV Coaching
Pros
- You’ll easily create a brand or image once you associate yourself with a reputable organization.
- You don’t have to spend any money to start working.
- You’ll receive mentorship from your colleagues.
Cons
- You might not have the liberty to choose when and where to work.
- Your earning potential will be limited.
Whichever path you choose, be sure to also consider your strengths and weaknesses, and give yourself ample time to think about which work environment or setup will work best for you as a coach.
5. Create a digital footprint as a life coach.
In today’s digital era, having a strong online presence is vital for your success as a life coach. The internet can be a godsend for neophytes like you because you’ll be able to advertise your services, communicate with your potential clients and be updated with the trends in the industry. After complying with the requirements for your business, create your own website. Make use of this affordable—in fact, almost free—medium to gain clients and make a profit.
It’ll Require Responsibility
Working as a life coach can be a good career change, but just like any other type of career, you should be willing to exert time and effort to succeed. You should have an interest in knowing more about the industry and never getting tired of learning. Aside from providing professional help to the people who need it, you should genuinely care for them and their concerns as well. Remember that they’re entrusting their lives to you, so don’t let that trust go to waste.
