Are you someone who finds great joy in helping others reach their fullest potential? Would your peers describe you as a successful, energetic, charismatic, good communicator who sticks to his/her values? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these, a career path as a life coach might be the best direction for you to take!
A life coach isn’t just a:
- Consultant
- Motivational speaker
- Therapist
- Or friend
Rather, a life coach is all of the above, with an overall goal of helping people make radical improvements in their lives.
How does it work? As a life coach, you will ask individuals powerful questions that are in concurrence with what is currently going on in their lives. It is your responsibility to clear away the draining energy and clutter that keeps your client from being their best.
Okay, so now that you’re interested in being a life coach, you’re asking yourself, “Where do I begin?”
You have several options:
- Take classes that focus on interpersonal communication, conflict in relationships, public speaking, and also persuasive argumentation, as these will allow you to learn in-depth the topics your clients might seek your assistance with
- Attend a life coaching seminar to better understand the career and to get advice from current and future life coaches
When it comes to the specific area that you can coach clients in, the list is very broad. This gives you the freedom to choose the area that you are most passionate about. I have a health coach who helps me make the right choices when it comes to what I eat, how often I exercise, and holding me accountable for the decisions I make regarding my health. While he is not a personal trainer, he does make recommendations as to what workouts I can incorporate, but mostly, it is his job, as my coach, to make sure that I am making the correct decisions that will better my health and not harm it.
While health coaches are a popular choice, other areas of coaching include, but are not limited to:
- Career Guidance
- Family Issues
- Personal Finances
- Living Environment
- Relationship Issues
- Spirituality
Just keep in mind that:
- The client is the expert in his/her own life, and the coach is there to facilitate the client’s process in finding answers
- When you are officially ready to become a life coach, you must get certified. Many clients will not hire a life coach who doesn’t have credentials
For tips and information on being a life coach, enjoy the video below.
Main Author: Alison Lewis
Contributing Authors/Editors: Daniel Janis, Linsey Morse, Kevin Mandeville
Comm Survivors, I think this was a great post! To me, the term “life coach” always seemed as more of a loose term that did not have any real significance in the work place. It was very interesting learning about what a life coach actually does and what to do if you are interested in becoming one.
I think your website is very well organized and all of your articles are extremely well put. The video you found for this article in particular really captured the essence of what you wrote.
Keep up the good work!
-Chelsea Doran
By: Chelsea Doran on May 13, 2010
at 10:19 pm