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1/8/2024 | Competence

What is a life coach?

What Is Life Coaching

What is a life coach? The question you're probably thinking about when you've landed here. In this article, we will discuss the definition of life coaching, its role in personal development and how you may be able to become a life coach yourself. By the end of this article, you will have a comprehensive understanding of what life coaching entails, the impact it can have and the steps to take if you want to become a life coach.  

What is a life coach?

Life coaching is a powerful tool for personal and professional development. It goes beyond conventional self-help approaches and focuses not only on personal growth, but also on professional and social dimensions. At its core, life coaching revolves around three fundamental questions: Who am I, What do I want and What can I do? These questions serve as guides and lead people to self-discovery, clarity and purpose.  

The transformational aspect of life coaching lies in its ability to bring about positive change. The life coaching profession emerged in the 1990s and gained momentum in response to fast-paced and modern lifestyles. Life coaches assist people on their path to greater self-awareness, helping them discover their full potential and achieve balance in various aspects of life.  

Role of a life coach 

A life coach can be thought of as a guide on the path of personal development. They assist individuals in their self-discovery, guide them through challenges and help them make decisions. There are a number of issues in a person's life where a life coach can help. 

1. Empowering people to be self-directed

Life coaches act as empowered allies and foster an environment in which individuals can take charge of their lives. By asking sharp and sometimes critical questions, holding up a mirror and enforcing accountability, a collaborative process is created between coach and client. As a result, coaches help their clients identify their values, clarify goals and align actions with aspirations.  

2. Providing guidance and accountability

Guidance is a cornerstone of life coaching. Coaches provide valuable insights, strategies and perspectives to meet challenges. At the same time, they hold clients accountable for the commitments made during the coaching process. Thus, a coaching program generally leads to practical steps and/or a change in the client's life. 

3. Facilitating decision-making

By exploring desires, strengths and possible obstacles, people gain clarity about what is going on in their minds. Why they resist a change, for example, and how they can modify it. This leads to a situation where people can make better and more informed choices. Coaches provide tools to help them do this, weighing options together and encouraging them to their clients.  

4. Strengthen self-confidence and resilience 

Building self-confidence and resilience is an integral part of life coaching. Coaches support clients in recognizing their strengths, overcoming adversity and developing a resilient mindset. This empowerment occurs not only during the coaching sessions, but continues to work afterward. Gaining more self-confidence and resilience ultimately affects various areas of clients' lives.  

Becoming a life coach 

Now that it is clear what life coaching entails, it is important to outline how to become a life coach. In this section, we'll take you through some practical steps and considerations. From formal courses to the practical aspects of building a coaching practice.  

Formal training and personal development 

Anyone could call themselves a coach. But it's important to realize that if you want to start helping other people, you play a major influence in and on that other person's life. So a good knowledge of what you do and how you do it is important. But you also need to have the right skills to coach someone. We are therefore convinced that a good education is the basis for becoming a life coach.  

There are several courses and courses that will give you the knowledge and skills you need, including our Co-Active Coaching courses. This training starts with a Fundamentals training of 2.5 days, for which you will receive a certificate. After the Fundamentals you can deepen your knowledge with the Intermediate course.  

Building a coaching practice 

Once you have acquired the right knowledge and skills, you can start working as a life coach. You are going to seek out a practice, attract clients and let the world know that you are a life coach. This means honing your communication skills, building a client base and mastering the practical aspects of running a coaching business. This means not only having coaching skills, but also being an entrepreneur.  

So, what is a life coach? 

Life coaching is a way of helping people develop themselves. Whether this is career and career development, or personal development. At its core, a life coach helps clients get the best out of themselves and see how they can continue to do so in the future. The question now is, do you want to become a life coach? 

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