Is Life Coaching the Life Path for You?

By
Mathews McGarry
-
life-coach

It would be extremely difficult today to find a person who hasn’t heard about the occupation of a life coach. However, even though many people require the services of a life coach, only few ever consider becoming one. This is probably because being a life coach is far from easy and there is a complex set of skills one needs to possess if he or she ever hopes to be successful at this line of work. Learning a bit about the job requirements might help you find out if the life of a life coach is really a path you could take.

Availability 24/7

Even though many compare the profession of a life coach to the one of personal trainer, there are some crucial differences between them. Probably the greatest one is the fact that while most personal trainers consider coaching as a part time job, the work of a life coach is never truly done. As a life coach, you would have to be available for your clients 24/7, and some of the help they might require from you won’t even be fitness related. All in all, being a life coach is more of a lifestyle than a job.

Teaching by example

The most important thing in the life of a coach is that you must be the living example of all those things you usually preach. This means that your meals must match the ones that you recommend to your clients, and that your physical appearance at least in some way matches their long term goal. Not only should they listen to what you talk about, but also look at what you do and this is why teaching by example is crucial.

Being communicative

There is a lot of knowledge that a life coach should pass on and in order for this to be possible, he or she needs to be highly communicative. You must use the power of rhetoric, when all else fails, you need to explain the consequences of some actions and the necessity of others. This is also why a good coach simply beams with positive energy. Letting a client know that you are his safety net, being a go-to person is what this is all about. Being communicative is also a tool that will help you build trust, which should never be underestimated.

Possessing knowledge

A life coach also needs to know all there is about proper ways of doing exercises, but also about the basic rules of nutrition. Having a life coach is like having your own personal nutritionist, who constantly rectifies your bad eating habits and helps you get new ones. Furthermore, seeing how newer researches tend to shed new light on this entire area, a proper life coach must always be ready to learn, and self-improve. A quest for knowledge is a never-ending one.

Caring about the spirit

There are many misconceptions about life coaches and what it is that they do. Another one of them (one of the most popular ones) is the idea that they only worry about the physical aspect of one’s life. This is as wrong as ideas can get. A successful life coach is always worried about the personal life of his clients, since any morale changes can significantly affect one’s athletic performance. This is why it is a popular claim amongst life coaches that they are a crossover between a personal trainer and a guru.

Getting a license

Finally, becoming a coach is not an easy task, and there are many things you need to do and evaluations you need to pass before you get your license. Even some of the most prestigious universities in the world like Harvard, Berkley and Columbia offer life coaching courses. Be this as it may, business opportunities in this niche are numerous, so it might be a good direction to explore, job-wise.


If you believe that you possess all these traits, it is probably wise to start thinking whether this is something you can imagine yourself doing for the rest of your life. An affirmative answer to this question should be all the incentive you need. By helping others reach their dreams, you may yet find yourself.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

4 COMMENTS