How to Find the Right Life Coach for You

Are you planning to make changes in your life, aim for new goals, and begin the New Year with a bang?

Is 2012 finally going to be the year in which you make the self changes you’ve thought about for so long?

There’s no doubt one of the best ways to fast track change is to have a Life Coach work with you. Then you can be totally focused on what you want to achieve.

But how do you find the right Life Coach for you, your circumstances, and your goals?

Life Coaching is one of the fastest growing professions in the world. Over the last ten years, this profession has grown so quickly that now there’s a plethora of Coaches around offering a variety of different yet specialised areas.

It’s understandable to think this diverse range of specialities would make your selection process easier.

On the contrary, it can make it more difficult, time consuming and confusing.

Using the Internet, you can search for a Coach anywhere in the world and this alone can be confusing. You might find a Coach with the background experience and professional knowledge that sounds ‘right’ for you and your goals. But before you jump into the partnership, you need to make sure you’ve found the right match.

The best way to make that decision is to speak with the respective Coach.

Other than that, how do you begin to choose a Life Coach For You?

The best way to begin the process is to take the time to answer the questions posed in this article. Think about them because your answers can or most likely will either positively or negatively impact on your Coach selection.

Each one of us is unique as are the issues or goals to be focused on during the coaching process. So what is important to you may not be important to another person.

Let’s get going!

Any Life Coach with whom you communicate either verbally, or by email, will ask you four initial questions like these:

WHAT do you want to achieve?
WHY do you want to achieve that?
WHAT is your time line?
WHY do you believe a Coach can help you?

So before you start your search for a Coach you need to first define your thoughts, with as much clarity as possible.

Do not just verbally answer the questions, hand-write your answers, but do not use the computer to do that. The mere act of actually hand writing these answers leaves a powerful imprint on your subconscious mind.

STEP ONE:

1 Define your goal in 2 or 3 words.
2 Write your goal, in a 15-20 word sentence. Include the date you want to achieve it by.
3 Write why you want to achieve this goal?
4 What is the motivating force behind you wanting to achieve this goal?

Once you’ve answered the above questions, you’ll find it a lot easier to have a discussion with any Coach.

One last point before you progress to the next lot of questions.

During your search, don't try and look for a Coach who has experience in the area in which you want to be coached.

Life Coaching is a positive partnership that begins with the present, not the past. Coaching is not counselling, consulting, psychotherapy, mentoring, therapy, or training.

Coaches are highly trained and skilled in asking pertinent probing questions about your goals and dreams. They help you outline the steps required for you to achieve your goal(s) so you can move forward with a fresh outlook and confidence.

STEP TWO:

As with the questions above, it is preferable for you to record your answers. Once you start communicating with coaches you might forget some issues that are very important to you.

Make a list of all the questions you need to ask a potential Coach.

What do you need to do to identify then find the right coach?

Do you want a Coach who lives in the same country as you, or is that not important to you?

Given your goal, what specific questions will you need to ask a Life Coach, to determine if that Coach is right for you?

Can you identify any specific criteria for determining what you want in a coach?

What characteristics and qualities would you expect in a Coach?

What experience do you want a Coach to have?

Do you want a Life Coach who appears ‘comfortable’ or,

Do you want a Coach who adopts an academic approach?

Do you want a Coach who utilizes a combination of powerful coaching principles with the Universal Laws?

Is it important to you that the Life Coach has extensive personal life and business experience?

Would you want the Coach to prove that? If they can’t, would that change your mind?

What kind of coaching sessions do you want? Face-to-face coaching in the same room, or communication through online technology, like Skype?

Addressing all those questions will definitely help you in your choice, but there’s another key question you do need to confirm.

Is the Life Coach accredited?

Take the time and actually speak with a Life Coach, then you can ask some of the questions posed above. One thing is certain you don’t want to make a mistake about your next move and your future.

Coaching can save you stress, anxiety, money and time; and yes it’s a fun, positive experience that allows you to grow and gain faster results than you could ever do on your own.

BUT a Life Coach does not weave some magical wand. You need to do your part!

Goals need to be realistic, and as a client, you must be an active participant to make it all happen.

This is why it’s so important to identify the right Life Coach for you. It’s also why the questions posed in this article need to be given serious consideration, as your answers will help you with your decision.

In closing think about this:

If your life now, was the same in five years time, would that make you happy? If not, just remember, you are in this world once. If you want to change your life, or achieve a goal, you need to make some changes and take action!

When it comes to the bottom line remember: the Life Coach you select can have a profound impact on your life, and how you move forward.

Your future is important! Your decision is important!