What is a Life Coach?

A life coach is a trained professional who helps clients set and achieve personal goals. Life coaches do this by listening carefully, asking great questions, expanding the client's picture of what they can achieve, and collaborating with the client to set up support structures and systems to achieve the goals.

Although this may sound easy to do, it isn't. Helping other people set and achieve personal goals requires a highly sophisticated set of communication skills. This type of communication skills are beyond just "good listener" and usually require specialized training to master.

Becoming an effective life coach also requires personal integrity (after all, how can you coach someone else on "life" if your own life is in a shambles?) and relevant life experience.

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The definition of a life coach is "a trained professional who helps clients set and achieve personal goals". What kinds of goals are we talking about?

Well, consider this...

Have you ever had a BIG dream, but didn't know how to go about achieving it?

Or found yourself slacking off your fitness routine - yet again?

Do you wish you could change careers into something more suited to your strengths?

All of the examples above are the types of things a life coach might help a client with. Of course, there are many other examples such as:

1) slowing down and enjoying life
2) finding a life partner
3) becoming more assertive
4) gaining confidence
5) overcoming a fear
6) achieving work-life balance
7) clearing clutter
8) finding meaningful work
9) making a life transition

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In answering the question "what is a life coach", an important distinction needs to be made: Life coaching is not the same as counselling or therapy, and a life coach is not therapist.

While life coaching may sound similar to counselling or therapy, there are some important differences.

1) Therapy clients have "problems" they want to solve. Coaching clients have "goals" they want to achieve.

2) Therapy deals with resolving issues from the past. Coaching deals with present and future goals.

3) Therapy helps people with a diagnosable mental illness or dysfunction. Coaching deals with successfully functioning people who want to be even more successful.

Of course, these distinctions are generalities - there will always be some overlap and exceptions. For example, "solution focused therapy" tends to deal with the present and future - just like coaching.

Do you wonder if you should take the plunge? Take this simple quiz and see if Life Coaching is the career for you.

__1. You've done a lot of personal development work and you've really grown.
__2. You've learned amazing things and you want to share.
__3. You have expertise that can help others.
__4. You're very spiritual (Perhaps in a non-traditional way).
__5. You're curious about people.
__6. You're naturally optimistic.
__7. You're a big-picture person.
__8. You have a sense of humor.
__9. You can let someone else be the center of attention.
__10. You don't "need" to help people.
__11. You don't "have" to fix problems.
__12. You're comfortable with the unknown.
__13. You're comfortable with silence.
__14. You're very intuitive.
__15. You're creative.
__16. You have great communication skills.
__17. You see opportunities where others see problems.
__18. You love working for yourself.
__19. Sales & Marketing don't scare you.
__20. You enjoy making your own decisions.
__21. You love talking to people.
__22. You don't mind charging for what you do.
__23. You don't blame people or make them wrong.
__24. You're action-oriented.
__25. You see the world evolving and you know it's a good thing.
__26. You feel called to coach.
__27. You want to earn a living as a coach, but you're not desperate for it.
__28. You have the time and energy to become a coach and you're ready to start.
__29. You'll do whatever it takes to succeed as long as you can keep your integrity.
__30. Becoming a coach sounds like a really fun opportunity.

SCORE: If you answered "Yes" to every question, you definitely should become a coach. If you answered most of them, and you believe you can learn the rest, then you'll probably love becoming a coach. If you answered "No" to most questions, then becoming a life coach may not be for you.

My thanks to Julia Stewart of the School of Coaching Mastery for permission to reprint this quiz.

If you would like to experience life coaching at a very affordable price, please go to CompassVIP.com- where you can get professional life coaching for as little as $39 a month!

I can also help you build a life coaching business. To find out more, just visit me at CompassVIP.com