I have been a life coach for the last ten years. It was never as easy as it is today to get into professional coaching.
When I completed my first diploma in life coaching, it was run on-site at a coaching school. All of my coaching sessions were recorded, and the teacher critiqued me with a hard edge.
Today, the coaching profession has been transformed by the Internet. You can study online to become a life coach in as little as a weekend. Of course, I would recommend something a bit more extensive than a weekend coaching workshop, nonetheless coaching is a craft like any other venture that requires a professional to know and do a few things if they are going to be successful.
Here are five essential things to consider before deciding to become a coach.
1. Effort is mandatory.
Coaching involves hard work. While I mentioned how easy it is to get into coaching, the reality is building a coaching business is the challenging part of the equation. Establishing a profitable coaching business takes work, money and energy.
Make sure you do your research before you become a life coach. Learn, not only, coaching skills but what it takes to run a profitable coaching business. Ask to interview existing coaches that are making a good living from coaching and gain feedback from them.
2. Perfection is not a prerequisite.
When I first started out as a life coach, I thought that I had to be perfect. Also, I thought my life had to be put together or I was just a fraud. The reality is coaches are human, they have flaws, they have problems, and they make mistakes in life.
If you’ve ever thought about becoming a life coach, know that it’s okay to be imperfect, and it’s okay to make mistakes. But, don’t let those things paralyse you from moving forward.
3. Good vs. expensive , there’s a difference.
Don’t feel like you need to invest in an expensive coach to improve your life coaching skills. There is a difference between expensive and good. How can you become a coach if you don’t have an understanding of what life coaching actually is, and if you haven’t been coached yourself? It’s truly important to get an understanding of what life coaching is and isn’t.
4. Put in the ‘mindset’ work.
When you become a life coach, there will be some mental blocks that you must work through if you are going to succeed.
You’ll need to work on eliminating and moving past limiting beliefs, and shift your thinking so that you can be the person you desire to be. Remember that becoming a life coach isn’t about being someone that you aren’t, but embracing who you are.
If you are going to master coaching, remember that the coaching aspect is just one element of your business success. Be open to the journey and know that if you want to become a life coach the journey you’ll undertake is just as much an internal one as it is an external transformation.
This article has been edited and condensed.
Sarah Liddle is a life coach trainer. She lives off the grid in an eco friendly house-bus/ haybale house with her partner and son. She is a coach trainer at Coach School and a mentor. Sarah is under 30 years old and has risen from humble beginnings in New Zealand to create an international six figure business. Connect with @thesarahliddle on Twitter.
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