This guide outlines how to become a life coach, and takes you through the four crucial steps in reaching your career goal of entering the life coaching field.
Are you passionate about becoming a life coach? That’s the first step towards your career goal. Many people fail to pursue their dreams not because they lack opportunities but due to peer pressure. As people progress in their careers, they find that passion is always stronger than money.
Many of those who realize that they have the money but have lost their passion are willing to pay a professional life coach from $100 to $1,000 per month to help them, usually through a 30- to 60-minute call once a week.
If you feel that you have what it takes to succeed in this field because you are naturally drawn to helping people get their lives together, you could consider completing life coach training and become a certified life coach practitioner. Meanwhile, this article summarizes four (4) key points for guiding you on the path.
How to become a life coach
As stated, passion will be the most essential asset in your journey to becoming a life coach. This profession is all about helping people become the best versions of themselves. As such, you must be committed to the course as it might get quite demanding. If you have the passion to help others realise their potential, consider building your own life coaching app. Find out how in this Passion.io review. Here are the main steps you can follow to get into this profession.
Step 1: Assess your abilities
It is essential to identify your aptitudes before you go into life coaching. Do you have what it takes? It is one thing to understand all the steps, but it is another to become a great life coach. Maybe you are wondering how to go about it. Start by thoroughly assessing your abilities.
Well, your behavior around other people is one indicator. Do you have a desire to see other people overcome obstacles that you’ve been through in the past? What is a fulfilled life according to you? These are some of the questions you should ask yourself.
Step 2: Develop your coaching vision
With every profession, one will have to go through some form of training. If you are looking to become a successful life coach, you can take the next step by enrolling in a course. Most NLP training institutions will teach you everything you need to succeed in this career.
While developing your coaching vision, make sure that our goals are realistic. Your personal interests, coaching niche, and ideal clients are some of the factors to keep in mind. Also, remember to include what you think are your barriers and how you plan to navigate them. Stumbling blocks will always be there, but how you deal with these challenges is what determines your success.
If you know how to deal with your issues, it will be easier for you to help other people with little or no distraction. Every life coach deals with some personal problems; they are human, after all. Having a clear picture of what may happen can help you to remain focused on your goal, reduce your feelings of frustration or panic when problems arise.
Step 3: Market your skills
There are several ways to attract potential clients. Try every promotional strategy at your disposal including community and family referrals, social media, and professional networks. The promotional opportunities of the 21st-century include the use of technology. At the same time, bringing clients on board is one thing; retaining them is where some life coaches fail.
You can work with your clients directly or through video and phone calls. Whichever option you choose, always make sure that your client is comfortable with the approach. Meanwhile, you might also need to learn some extra skills that can help your life coaching career such as website design and best SEO practices, reading body language, business administration, voice projection and modulation, and career management to increase your competencies.
Step 4: Manage your expectations
After you’ve gone through the training sessions and preparations and are ready for the task, you’ll be building a business even as you are helping people. This could turn out to be your full-time job. At the onset, you should try and ensure that you stay grounded and without unrealistic expectations. For instance, you might believe some online content that promises a six-figure salary after a few months in business.
Everyone hopes to get there someday, but that can take time. Do not expect a high income immediately. Remember, to become a successful life coach, money should not be your priority. While it may help in paying your bills, your heart is in listening to other people’s problems and trying to help them face and resolve their issues.
Takeaways
Aside from communication and people skills, empathy and compassion, creative and problem solving, a life coach requires passion and determination. The most successful coaches always look to improve their skills every day.
To up your game, learn about addressing issues such as lack of confidence, the fear of failure, and habitual procrastination you can first choose a niche from the myriad of life coaching fields, then complete a professional training program and get certified. The rest is in your hands in how to become a life coach.
