Life coaching, a trending career option, offers the opportunity to help others while finding freedom outside of the normal 9-5 construct. While anybody can call themselves a coach, not everybody should.
In this position, people will pay you to help them become the best version of themselves. You need to possess a certain skill set in order to become a life coach and to succeed.
Read on to learn what it takes!
A Strong Sense of Self
Who are you?
If you cannot answer this question with substance, then you may not want to begin life coaching. You cannot teach people how to find their place in the world if you haven’t found yours yet.
Healthy self-identity means that you can identify your strength and know-how to effectively use them to reach your goals. It also means you understand your weaknesses and consistently work to grow those skill-sets.
Once you understand yourself, you can find your niche based on how you can best serve others. While some life coaches help people build relationships, others help them with developing financial success, choosing happiness, or harnessing another important aspect of life.
Empathy
While people with ego may present themselves well, those with empathy can help others put their best face forward. Empathy refers to the ability to experience another individual’s feelings from their unique position.
This requires a true understanding of others. Following your intuition helps.
But, you also need to allow yourself to deeply connect with others. This can feel uncomfortable for some people, especially when dealing with highly emotional or confused individuals.
Communication Skills
If you hope to become a certified life coach, then you must know how to communicate effectively. This entails a balance of giving and taking.
Offering clear advice will help your clients only if you listen to their needs. Active listening will also help people trust you more.
Vision
Anybody can set goals. But a life coach needs to help another person make dreams happen. This requires vision, or the ability to see an end result through difficult obstacles.
Organization
While vision helps you create a plan, organizational skills allow it all to run smoothly. Effectively using tools like calendars, lists, flow charts, and detailed planners will help you stay on track.
Little details matter for staying organized. This includes neat handwriting, proper scheduling, and avoiding clutter.
Networking
To lead, you need followers. Networking skills will help you find success as a life coach.
Social networking by staying active with useful and interesting posts on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Find more followers here! Also, use professional sites like Beyond, and LinkedIn, and attend in-person leadership conventions and networking events.
Are You Cut Out to Become a Life Coach?
If you want to become a life coach, assess your skills. If you lack what you need but feel passionate about this career choice, work on yourself, and build a network of people who already hone the skills you need to build on.
Do you want to learn a different skill set? Read how to harness other expertise on our website!
