Welcome to the world of life coaching!
There is virtually no other occupation in the world that will help you to develop as a person while you work with others to do the same. Those on the road of life coaching are looking to better themselves--in life, at work, and in creating a better balance between the two.
Little known before the 1980s, Life Coaching is one of the fastest developing careers available to you. While there are a great many coaching schools available, not all of them actually prepare you for the work of being a life coach.
Can everyone be a life coach?
Not really. We'll discuss the qualifications of being a life coach and by the time you complete this class, you will know that you are a good candidate for this career. In addition, you will learn a great deal about personal development.
What Coaching IS, versus what Coaching is Not
Coaching is often compared to psychotherapy or to consulting. These assumptions are false. Let's explore the three occupations:
- In psychotherapy, you are usually focused on the past, issues and events that affect the person you are today. A psychotherapist works with clients to discover that past problem and help them to come to terms with it today.
- A consultant is an expert who does (or should) know all the answers to a specific problem. Businesses hire consultants who know all the reference materials to suggest, the books to read, and the software to try. A consultant is focused only on the end result of a problem.
- Coaching focuses on the present and looks toward the future. As a coach, you and your client are shoulder to shoulder, walking together, viewing a problem from the same perspective and you encourage your client to discover within themselves the ability to discover what needs to be done next.
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Teacher Know Thyself - What you believe in is who you are.
Before you begin to coach someone, you really must connect with yourself. In order to bridge the gap between a person and their goal, you must first do it with yourself. It is difficult, if not impossible, to ask someone to do work on themselves which you have not yet done so on yourself.
The journey to a new future begins with you. The relationship you have with yourself is the most crucial relationship there is, and you must understand it before you coach someone else.
Everything is a direct result of your relationship with yourself. When you know who you are, you send energy proclaiming yourself to the world. Your thoughts, perceptions, and beliefs of yourself become evident to those around you.
You will discover that your emotions, judgments, self worth, and your internal conversations tell you more about yourself than anyone in the world can tell you. By getting in touch with yourself, you will learn to deal with all your feelings--the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Life coaching goes far beyond learning about making choices. It encompasses every interaction you have, from your productivity, use of time, energy, finances, friends, and associates. You will learn to distinguish between your private self and your public self. You will understand with great clarity that you have choices: you can either speak up or remain silent.
One of the most important things you will learn is that ignoring problems does not make them go away. Ignoring a problem will only widen the separation between the problem and a potential solution.
Integrity: As a coach, you must have full integrity. The word integrity comes from the Latin word meaning undivided. An individual with integrity upholds principles and standards at all times; when things are going well, and when things are not going well. In order to have this kind of integrity, you must be aware of your behavior at all times. Most people are not aware, and your job as a coach will be to enlighten them.
Most people tend to react only to the expectations of others. Their entire life is driven by the opinions of other people. We wait with anticipation to see whether we have met with approval or rejection. Most of us are so narrowly focused that we cannot see all possibilities that lay before us.
Embarking on the journey of personal development will open many doors, most of which have remained shut for you. This is a journey that is ongoing. You will learn to always be aware, and to always be growing.
This course will focus on how to be a Life Coach. Life Coaching is an occupation where you work with individuals who wish to make a change in their lives. By working with clients to evaluate their lives on a personal, professional, and spiritual level, you help them to make realistic goals and establish the necessary steps required to reach those goals.
