Life Coach - Helping people achieve their dreams

Seldom does an opportunity come along where you can not only build a career for yourself but also make a huge difference in the lives of everyone you touch. There are not many professions where not only can you help yourself achieve your career and professional goals but you can help others reach where they want to be as well. Not many professions can give you the personal satisfaction that becoming a Life Coach does.

Now the first question that comes to mind is - What is a Life Coach?

To answer that question first you must realize that each person is different from the other. Everyone has their own set of goals and dreams to achieve. Not everyone is at the same place at the same time mentally or emotionally and not everyone wants to reach the same destination. Goals, dreams, and satisfaction come at different levels. Some have personal goals or problems; some have professional or business goals or barriers they need to cross. Few of us are already where we want to be and are now seeking a new goal or desire.

This is where a Life Coach comes in. A Life Coach analyses each client in terms of where they are right now and where they would ideally like to be and then helps them close that gap. A Life Coach will listen to their clients, share their thoughts, learn about their client's dreams, find out what is most important to them and then assist them in achieving more in their life. It could be that someone wants more out of their personal life whereas someone else wants more out of their business. A professional Life Coach will always work closely with their clients; ask the right questions and challenge the clients emotionally and mentally to find out new ways to give them the change that they desire.

Working closely with professional Life Coaches greatly benefits clients because they are able to achieve their desired goals faster and in a more efficient manner. They always have someone to give them objective and genuine feedback and offer solutions to their problems. It helps the clients to increase their level of confidence, have better relationships, achieve a greater respect for themselves and find a new love and passion for life. Above all it helps clients to be more focused in all aspects of their lives and business.

If you love interacting with people from all walks of life, if you enjoy listening to others and are fascinated by how people live their lives and go about achieving their goals, then life coaching may be the career option for you. Imagine doing something you love for a living. Imagine the satisfaction which you can derive from knowing that it was because of you that someone is on their way to achieving what they have always wanted. In fact it's because of you that they even realized what they actually wanted in life.

Can you think of any other profession which could give you this amazing realisation? If you can't think of any other profession that would give you this satisfaction and also help you achieve your career goals financially, then perhaps it's time for you to investigate how to become a Life Coach. Who knows, by trying to help others achieve their goals, you may discover and reach what you always wanted in life.

About the author :

Sharon Pearson is a professional, accredited life coach, executive coach and business coach. She is the founder and CEO of The Coaching Institute, Australia's leading accredited life coach training school, is a published author and an in-demand public speaker and trainer www.thecoachinginstitute.com.au

What It Takes To Be A Life Coach

Excellence in life and executive coaching is the same as excellence in anything – you must make a decision to learn your craft. Learning is not just reading and studying a manual; it’s actually doing the thing you wish to master. Life coaching is not a spectator sport, it is a full participation, let’s-learn-how-this-works endeavour that can be extremely rewarding.

Great life coaches not only learn through doing their craft, they are interested in and happy for someone else’s success. They are comfortable celebrating achievement, rather than critiquing it or looking for flaws.

Successful life coaches are willing to receive feedback about how they can improve their craft. They keep the loop of learning open, knowing that what they think they know is just the tip of the iceberg, and there is so much more to be savoured. This means they receive feedback from mentors and other coaches as well as their clients about how they can improve their craft.

Life coaches who excel have an interest in personal development. They value the journey of self-improvement and they’re willing to learn more about how and why people choose to do what they do. They are curious about what motivates us and see value in learning more about how to get results.

Great life coaches are excellent communicators. They may have friends come to them asking their advice, and people may find them attractive to talk with. And they’re happy to chat and lend an ear. When they start out in their professional life coach training they may need to learn the skills of coaching communication, and then they apply themselves to learning even more about how to effectively communicate with their clients to assist them to get their desired results.

Great life coaches are persistent and know that it isn’t what you do some of the time that gets results, but what you are prepared to do consistently. They understand that persistence pays, and even when they experience some disappointment, they know that this is part of the natural cycle of life and keep going.

Excellence in a coach is an attitude of ‘possibilities’. Cynics need not apply, as cynicism is simply a fear of being disappointed. Coaches know that because disappointment is inevitable if we have goals, they must stay open to the possibilities of how to turn the situation around.

Life coaches who excel are willing to experience success. They are willing to get over self-sabotage, the fear of failure, the fear of success and every other fear and just have a go at achieving personal excellence. They recognise that extraordinary feats are accomplished by ordinary people making ordinary decisions. Their goal is to be their personal best, and through the journey of achieving this they learn compassion, tolerance, patience, forgiveness – as well as focus, commitment, dedication and passion.

Life coaches who are willing to continue their professional training and seek more knowledge about how to best assist their clients will know that their success is bound to increase. Accredited, professional life and executive coaches are committed to mastery of their craft. They don’t settle for shortcuts in their coaching training, but are willing to apply themselves and learn all they can about human behaviour, personal development, Neuro-linguistic Programming and life coaching.

Excellence in life and executive coaching is achieved not through knowing all the answers but through being willing to find out the answers. The decision to become an accredited life coach is a first step towards the achievement of this. Let the journey begin.

About the author :

Sharon Pearson is a professional, accredited life, executive and business coach. She is the founder and CEO of The Coaching Institute, Australia’s leading accredited life coach training school, is a published author and an in-demand public speaker and trainer. You can visit The Coaching Institute at http://www.thecoachinginstitute.com.au