Life coaching is not a new or unfamiliar term to most of us these days. It pops up all over the place: on the internet, on mainstream TV shows, in newspapers, and so on. Although many of us have never seriously considered finding a life coach, there are definite benefits to going down that route.
What is life coaching exactly? Well, basically, it’s is a practice that helps individuals identify, set, and achieve personal (or professional) goals. A life coach is trained to help his or her clients not only create goals for themselves but also reach those goals through the help of a variety of tools and techniques. There are plenty of schools with programs available to help those who wish to become a life coach get certified. It is important that you do your homework and research on a potential life coach. Some sort of formal training is probably an asset, though you can decide for yourself which individual suits your style best. Since there is little to no regulation within the field yet, however, there are plenty of people who “set up shop”, so to speak, as life coaches who have no formal training to back them up, and little to no real world experience to qualify them for such work.
Remember that although a life coach is there to help you make some radical changes in your life; they are not therapists and should never be viewed as such. Life coaching in general is for people who already have a pretty good life and would like it to be better. The whole mindset to life coaching is to find an expert who gets to know and understand who you are and what you want from life, and then they help you realize your full potential. This is often done over the phone (and is sometimes referred to as telephone coaching). This is usually done on a weekly basis. However, your life coach would be more than agreeable to helping you find a schedule (bi-monthly, bi-weekly, etc) that fits you. These calls are designed to help you both discover what it is that you want, to discover those important goals, and to help you take appropriate actions, as well as encouraging you while you do so, and ultimately helping you achieve those goals.
For many individuals, this is a great way to earn a living as well as to help lots of people. There are some steps necessary to becoming one though, or at least a good one. How to become a life coach? Well, the very first step is to get a handle on your own goals and make sure that you are living the life you wanted. It would be hard to convince others that you can help them achieve their goals in life if your own is a complete mess. Once you are satisfied that your life is on track, decide which of the numerous different areas within life coaching to focus upon. Some include relationship coaching, conflict coaching, spiritual coaching, among a great many others. The next logical step is to go out and get yourself a formal education. There are many different places that offer such education, just make certain that you get your education from a place that has full accreditation from all of the major certifying bodies for professional life coaching. Without such accreditation, your “degree” or “certificate” would be about as useful as one printed at home on your computer.
A life coach is there to help you reach those goals that have, until now, seemed out of reach or too hard. They are individuals trained to show you a better way to use your time and pursue your dreams, and are there to offer moral support and a guiding hand along the way. Hiring a life coach is not something that is suited to every person. However, if you are looking for an extra boost and some added support while working towards your goals, then a life coach may be the answer you are looking for.