Finding a Life Coach

No athlete would ever expect to get to the top of their game and stay there without a coach. Top business people happily pay astronomical sums to mentors and coaches to help them pave the way to greater success.

Thankfully, coaching is now accessible to everyone.

A growing trend is to hire a life coach for wellness and personal growth. Whether your goal is to transform your health, improve relationships, create work-life balance, or navigate life transitions, your holistic life coach is there for you.

Finding a life coach who is right for you may seem daunting.

Here are three steps to make your search easier:

1. A good place to start is by assessing what knowledge, specialization, personal qualities, experience, and credentials are important to you when you hire a life coach. Here are some things to consider:

   If you have a very specific goal, such as becoming smoke-free, and you have no idea of how to do that, a coach specializing in smoking cessation might be your best bet. If you know how to quit, but are struggling with actually doing it, a life coach with inner game methods in her repertoire may be more of a must for you.

   Are certifications important to you? If so, finding a life coach who is certified through the ICF or the IAC are good places to start. Certification through these organizations requires a lot of training and skill. Some training schools certify their own coaches. Levels of training vary widely.

   Do keep an open mind about this, though, because some of the most sought after, experienced, and successful coaches are not certified.

   What qualities are you looking for in your coach? A good listener? Someone with some knowledge of your problem who has been through it and come out better for it? Someone who can give you 'a motivational push' when you need one? Male, female, soft spoken, energetic, enthusiastic or calming?

2. Now that you have an idea of what you are looking for, it's time to begin finding a life coach. You might start by searching for a holistic life coach, life coach, personal development coach, wellness coach, cancer coach, and so on. Certifying bodies also have coach lists.

   Peruse the websites of coaches that appeal to you. Read their 'about' pages and get a flavor for who they are as a person, a coach, and what they stand for. Listen to their audios and videos. If you can tell they are not for you, move on. If you like what you see so far, opt-in for their free info-products and ezines. Get to know them a bit more.

   Again, keep an open mind. If someone really seems to resonate with you, but doesn't match your entire wish list, take it to the next step.

3. Take the leap and sign up for a complimentary session. Besides providing you with important insights and clarity about your situation, these sessions are a great way for you and the coach to get to experience each other.

   Be up-front and tell them you are interviewing several coaches (unless you already feel for sure this person right for you). You will both get a good flavor for what partnering together would be like and if you found a good match.

Once you've had a taste of coaching, and your quest for finding a life coach has led you to the perfect coach for you, it's time to...

...hire a life coach.

There's a simple reason for this. Your brain doesn't see new situations as safe, and it's sending you fear messages. And that's okay.

Not only are you committing to a new relationship with this coach, but you are also really taking the step to commit to your goals and dreams.

That commitment requires that you change, grow, invest time and financial resources in yourself, and take action on your own behalf. You will definitely stretch outside your comfort zone.

And whether we want to admit it to ourselves or not, we like our comfort zones. They feel safe. So, if the thought of finding a life coach and really committing to change in this big way, maybe for the first time in your life, feels a bit too scary, that's okay. Don't judge yourself for that. But do ask yourself how playing it safe and the 'same old same old' has been working for you so far?

Let me share this from my own experience. I've discovered that often what appears as pure fear - you know, the butterflies, sweaty palms and visual disturbances that precede a big decision-often turn into a feeling of great relief and excitement once I go for it and say, "yes!"

So I say, go for it. You are worth it. Once you hire a life coach, commit to the process for at least three months. Give it your all. You are likely to be very pleased with your results.

Learn more about Health Wellness Coaching and if it's for you.

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