Some career paths in life are meant for others, while others aren’t. For many, they have room to learn the ropes of the job, while for others, the job comes naturally. One of the out-of-the-box careers that you can try is working as a life coach. Unlike a regular job in the office, working as a life coach can be very exciting because you really do not know what to expect. Every day, you are presented with a new client to help out. For starters, you might want to try out taking a course on life coaching. The iNLP Center offers life coach training if you are really serious about this career path.
Apart from this, wouldn’t it be nice to work in a job where you have the chance to change the lives of others positively? Through your chosen career as a life coach, you have the power to improve the lives of your clients. Do you feel like this career path is the right one for you? Here are some telltale signs that you are a right fit for this job:
1) You Are Willing To Work Hard
Hard work is essential for any type of job, more so for a life coach. You cannot sit around and expect your clients to be an overnight success. It will take so much hard work, sometimes even a year or more of continuous effort before your client can tell you that they have accomplished their goals. You should be willing to step up and go the extra mile in helping your clients achieve what it is they are longing to do, and none of these can be done without hard work. No success story was made in the blink of an eye, and, indeed, you and even your clients are no exceptions.
Included in this willingness to work hard should also be your willingness to submit yourself to further learning and training. Apart from the skills that you need to have, you must also question whether certification is necessary, and if it is, be willing to go through the necessary processes to obtain this.
2) You Are Comfortable Talking To Others
One of the basics of working as a life coach has a lot to do with talking. You will be facing clients daily in person. If you are comfortable with this arrangement, then you are going to do well as a life coach. This kind of job is not for those who are timid, or those who shy away from openly talking with others, particularly strangers. Remember that before you can develop a good relationship with your clients, you will first have to pass through the stage of getting to know each other, and figuring out where you should start. Talking to other people should be something that genuinely makes you happy and not just one that you are forced to do every time you report for work.
3) You Are Passionate About Helping Others
The gist of your job as a life coach is essentially helping others with their self-development process. For starters, you should be passionate about wanting to help your clients in their development towards becoming better individuals. Whether you are trying to improve them as an individual, or as a business, this is something that you must take to heart. When your clients meet you for the very first time, they should be able to see and feel this passion through your words and actions.
4) You Take Pride In The Job That You Do
If you think that working as a life coach isn’t stressful, then you are wrong. As exciting as it can be, life coaching is also one of the most time-consuming and stressful jobs that you can undertake. It is as if you are also taking the problems of your clients upon your shoulders. There is no other way for you to empathize with them. To help them as a life coach, you cannot be cold towards whatever misfortune it is that they need your help with.
To help ease off the stress accompanying this job, and for you to enjoy each of your sessions, you must be the type who takes pride in what you do. Whether you are working as a life coach or not, remember that even five minutes into the job will feel like hours if you are just desperately trying to get things done. The more pride that you feel in your career, the more effective you are as a life coach because you report to work bearing a happy and motivated spirit.
5) You Love Inspiring Others
Have your family and friends told you that each time they talk to you, they immediately feel inspired? Have they told you that you dispense so much wisdom every time you speak? If this is so, then that is another sign that you are going to do well as a life coach. Keep in mind that the primary role of a life coach is to guide, help, motivate, inspire, and develop others towards becoming better versions of themselves. As a life coach, you may even help them through adversities in life. In general, you must have the ability to inspire others by giving them more motivation and reasons to live.
6) You Are Relatable
Being relatable doesn’t have to mean that you are also going through the same problems or have the same ambitions your clients have. No two people are going through the exact same situations in their lives. To be relatable only means that when someone opens up to you about their challenges and their dreams, they see you as their equal. You should be pliant enough like bamboo and be receptive and empathic towards the challenges your clients are facing..
How so? For instance, you come across someone who badly needs your help in coaching her to become a better mother. She used to be a career woman, but after having children, now all she wants to do is take care of her children in the best way possible without losing herself in the process. But this is precisely the opposite of what you have chosen as an individual, as despite having children, you have decided to balance out your responsibilities as a mother with your career.
While your situation as client and life coach are very far apart from each other, you cannot let your own experiences and decisions cloud your judgment when dispensing advice to your client. Being relatable means making your client feel that you completely understand them and what they are going through despite you believing differently from what they do. As a life coach, your own experiences and biases will have to take a backseat when it comes to making your client feel accepted and understood so that they can develop themselves and achieve their goals.
7) You Are Trustworthy
When you work as a life coach, you can liken this to working as a medical doctor or a psychologist. You have a reputation to uphold, as well as the vow of client confidentiality. This is, in fact, something that you cannot break. If you have a client who might be a friend of yours, you have to resist the temptation to pry too much about their struggles and goals as this may give the impression that you are simply nosy, or worse, untrustworthy. Let your client gradually reveal what they feel is comfortable for them to reveal, and work around that information to help them get through their situation.
As a would-be life coach, it is crucial for you to display honesty and trustworthiness. Bear in mind that you aren’t there to get a glimpse of what others are going through, but you are there to help them positively, whether they have problems or not.
8) You Are Highly Motivated
Working as a life coach will eat up so much of you physically, emotionally, and mentally. At the end of every working day, you may feel your energy being drained to the point that it may become too much for you to handle. But you choose not to give up on yourself, and on your client, because you are highly motivated. This is one vital trait that you must have so you can be called a life coach. It’s simple: if you aren’t highly motivated, then how can you motivate others as well?
As a life coach, you must practice what you preach, and your clients have to see this from you as well. You need this motivation to give you that extra push, particularly for the more demanding clients. Perhaps you are trying to help someone who is not completely receptive to change, or you are helping another client who still doesn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel after meeting you for four sessions. Because you are motivated, you do not just give up on them. You should be the type who will do and get whatever is necessary for you to create that positive change of self-development in the life of your client.
9) You Are Kind And Compassionate
Kindness and compassion can often be tough to have, especially in a world where there seems to be so much competition happening against each other. To qualify as a life coach, academic credentials and training are indeed important, but to stay in the industry for long, it is your attitude that matters. No client will ever want to trust you if you are the type who easily shames others for their misfortunes or mistakes. You cannot get quickly irritated at someone who may be having a difficult time.
As a life coach, you should keep in mind that aren’t better or higher than your clients. You should have a sense of compassion wherein you see yourself in equal footing with your client. They need you just as much as you need them. When your client first sees you or meets you, they should immediately feel your genuine kindness.
10) You Are Patient
In relation to the above-mentioned point, you must also have patience. If you are generally very patient with others, then you are the perfect fit for this industry. As a life coach, you are there to coach, guide, and help your clients through life. Whether they are going through something terrible, or they need you for advice on something they have dreamed of doing for so long, you must be patient with them. Especially when you have already started your coaching sessions, and the progress may be quite slow, you must never compare one client with another. Be patient with each client and remember that they are a work in progress, just like you are.
If you are patient, nurturing, and loving, then working as a life coach is an excellent opportunity for you. The more patient and loving you are, the higher the chance of your clients staying and feeling like you are in it to help them make baby steps towards self-development, and not merely to earn an income.
11) You Are Independent
When you are going to work as a life coach, you will be self-employed, hence you will be independent. If you like this kind of lifestyle and job, then go ahead and complete your credentials to become a life coach. In this industry, you are your own boss, and you will have so much freedom to manage your time better. That said, this is not the right job for those who like to report as a subordinate and do routine work every day.
One of the most critical aspects of being self-employed is that you must love your independence so much that you are willing to accept the possible risks of working as a new life coach. Because you are relatively new, there might be days when income is on the low side, as every day is not a guarantee that you are going to have an income. Therefore, it is imperative for you to have this clear understanding beforehand to avoid falling into the pitfalls of regret later on. Remember, once you start, taking the way back becomes difficult because you will already have clients who have begun to trust you fully.
Conclusion
Times have changed so much that more and more individuals need the help of a life coach. Because the demand has dramatically increased, this career opportunity has also grown to be a flourishing one. If you are leaning towards a career in this industry of advising and coaching others, remember that more than just the knowledge and skills that you will possess, you must have the heart, personality, and willingness to get the job done right. If you have any of these signs, then perhaps you are in the right direction in choosing to become a life coach.
