Elevating Your Coaching Practice: The Power of Professional Development

Are you tired of putting things off?

Do you find yourself being lazy when you should be active?

Are you ready to find that spark in your life so that you take action and move forward?

 

In this article you are going to learn:

1. What makes you motivated

2. Why you start procrastinating

3. What you can do to overcome lack of motivation

4. Why you need to face your fears

5. The importance of momentum and moving

6. Why you need to follow your excitement

7. The powerful effect of “chunking”

What Is Motivation?

The most important thing you need to understand about how motivation works is this:

A. You will always move towards what you define as being more “pleasurable” and…

B. You will always move away towards what you define as being more “painful”.

The keyword here is define.

The way human psychology works is that once we create a set of beliefs about what we like and don’t like (or agree with or don’t agree with), they run on autopilot.

When you entered into this world, you have been making decisions each day about what you define as being pleasurable and define as being painful.

Once you make those decisions, you file them away and move along your life and everything you come upon in life gets filtered through those beliefs and they become habits.

For example…

You never need to “find” motivation to eat your favorite foods or watch your favorite shows.

At some point you made the decision that you loved those things and now you are always automatically going to do those things habitually without hesitation or even thinking about it.

They run on autopilot and you don’t have to “find motivation” to do them.

So if you are not motivated to do anything right now it’s because you have defined that task as being more “painful” than “pleasurable”.

What Is Procrastination?

When you procrastinate, its because you have a negative belief or definition around the thing that needs to get done.

Your mind has associated the task as something “painful”.

“What you resist persists” – Carl Jung

What this quote basically means is that anything you avoid or put off will just get bigger and louder.

You cannot avoid life.

You cannot avoid your self.

You cannot avoid personal responsibility.

If something is there, it is there for a reason.

It is there to send you a signal and say, “Hey, you need to look at this and do something about it.”

You must face it otherwise the issue will just continue to cause you pain.

What many people fail to realize is that any challenge that presents itself in your life is there to serve you as an opportunity to learn and grow.

However, if you avoid the issue by procrastinating, it becomes your burden.

So stop avoiding your responsibilities.

Otherwise you are just making things harder on yourself.

Don’t Judge Yourself

The first thing you need to understand is that it is common for anyone and everyone to lose motivation in life or business.

It happens to the best of us.

Life is a series of phases where there are many ups and downs.

This is why Buddhists focus so much of their practice towards finding contentment because in the Western world of “Happiness”, you need to understand that when there are highs there are also lows.

So the first step to getting motivated is to take it easy on yourself, don’t judge or beat yourself up, and know that life is a series of ups and downs where some days you feel great, other days you feel ok, and other days are “low energy days”.

So right now, you are not motivated.

You’re fine.

There is nothing wrong with you and there is no need to play the “victim role”.

Know Your “Why?”

Whatever it is you need to be motivated for, why are you doing it in the first place?

If you need to be doing something you don’t want to be doing but have to, then find a creative way to do it.

Use your imagination and make it an adventure.

You get to create your life each day so even if you have to take out the garbage, make it fun.

If it is something you want to be doing but have lost motivation for, then remind yourself “why” you wanted to do it in the first place.

We are all driven by purpose.

And more importantly, we are all driven towards what brings us more “pleasure” and moves us away from “pain”.

So whatever you need to do right now, define it in your mind that if you don’t do it, it will bring you more pain and that by doing it you will have more pleasure.

Follow Your Excitement

Your body already knows how to get motivated.

It’s called excitement.

The definition of excitement is “something that arouses enthusiasm and eagerness”.

This is very similar to knowing your “why” because ideally you should be following your excitement in life.

If you are, then you should be motivated to do the thing you need to do.

However, where most people get lost with excitement and motivation is that they don’t connect the “small thing” to the “big thing”.

For example, if you have to do a mundane task that you don’t enjoy, if you don’t connect it to how it relates to your excitement, then it will be just that: a mundane task.

Your excitement is literally your bodies translation and signal that is telling you “go this way”.

If you are not excited by what you are doing, then there are two reasons for this:

A. You are not really excited by it

B. You are not excited about “how” it needs to be done

The “how” is where a lot of people get tripped up.

Change the “how” and make it more fun and you will see yourself get motivated.

Take Baby Steps

One of the keys to goal setting is chunking things down and taking small steps towards your goal.

The mind tends to get overwhelmed with all the things that need to get done and will therefore feel like its some daunting task.

Take small steps.

Put one foot in front of the other.

And all of a sudden you will see yourself taking action and the rest will follow.

But whatever you do, don’t procrastinate.

Once you do, it will become a habit and then it becomes easier and easier to put things off until one day you wake up twenty to thirty years down the road and realize that you have not done much with your life!

Face Your Fears

Chances are if you are not motivated towards taking action is because there is a fear attached towards doing so.

Remember, you will always move away towards what you “define” as being more painful.

So the question you must ask yourself is this: “What am I afraid of?”

Write down all your fears on a piece of paper or Word/Google doc.

Then look at them.

Then ask yourself this question: What is the worst that could happen?

Write down your answers.

Now you are facing your fears.

Simplify Your Life

If you are feeling overwhelmed, it may be time to simplify your life.

Many people who lose sight on how to get motivated do so because in general, their life has too much going on.

If you have taken on too many responsibilities, you are going to need to prioritize them and, as painful as this may be, let some of them go.

Our minds and hearts like to do a lot.

Unfortunately, logistically, there may not be enough of you and time to do it all.

The question you need to ask yourself is this:

Is it more important that I do all of these things the right way or are you okay doing them all but not to the best of your ability?

Also, don’t you want to enjoy yourself in the process of doing it?

Way too many people are trying to get so much done for the sake of doing it yet very few of them actually enjoy themselves.

Relax.

Take the time to do a few things the right way and enjoy yourself.

You’ll feel much better about it in the end.

Also, just because you say “no” to something now does not mean you will say no forever. Set it aside for the time being and come back to it later.

Move Your Body

If you are living a sedentary life, then you need to get your body moving.

Whether it is walking, running, spinning, yoga, pilates, basketball, soccer, tennis, surfing, whatever, it is your responsibility to “find your thing” that moves your body.

Going for a brisk walk in the morning for twenty minutes and then doing some jumping jacks is a great way to kickstart your motivation and mental capacities.

However, while walking is nice, you will definitely feel more energy coursing through you if you did something that really raises your heart rate like running, bike riding, or some form of aerobics or High Intensity Interval Training

Visualize The Outcome

Because we are motivated by pleasure, it is important that you spend time visualizing yourself experiencing the outcome of whatever it is you need to get motivated for.

People have no problem being motivated to have sex, eat good food, or win money because those are things we already have established visuals for.

So spend a few minutes visualizing yourself experiencing the outcome.

Experience Small Rewards

If you are taking baby steps towards your goal, then you should experience some rewards.

Once again, we are all motivated towards pleasure and if you reward yourself, then this will motivate you to continue pushing.

For example, when you go to work you will get a paycheck within a week or two. And then you will use that paycheck to go to dinner and the movies.

That reward will keep you going. This is why being an entrepreneur is so hard because the payoff or reward won’t be for quite some time.

So make sure to reward yourself so that you experience the pleasure of what you are doing.

Create A Healthy Morning Routine

We are all the sum total of our habits.

Focus, discipline, and getting motivated all stems from what we do each day.

By establishing a healthy morning routine and constructive daily habits, you will create momentum.

This momentum makes it much easier for you to always be in a motivated state so that you don’t have to find ways to get motivated.

Note: The fact that you are reading this is a signal that you probably don’t have good habits because people who do, rarely lose motivation.

Ask For Help

Don’t be embarrassed to ask for help.

We all need help.

Even the biggest CEO’s and experts all hire consultants, coaches, and mentors.

If you have taken on a big task then find someone who has already done what you want to do so they can guide you.

If its something “more simple”, then ask a friend or family member to support you.

Whatever you do, don’t box yourself in and feel like you need to go it alone.

Be Held Accountable

This is somewhat relatable to asking for help but a bit different.

The idea here is that you want to tell someone what your goal is and be held accountable.

By putting it out there, this will help you to get motivated to do what you need to get done because its no longer something that you have committed to yourself.

It’s out in the world now and you have told people so you will be motivated to take action because you don’t want to let them down.

Once again, this is why having a coach or mentor can be quite helpful.

Remove All Distractions

Distractions are the number one killers of motivation.

Your phone, email, TV, etc. are all things that will take away your attention from what you should be doing: taking action.

Stay focused.

One thing at a time.

Turn off the distractions!

Summary

If you truly want to learn how to get motivated:

• Don’t judge yourself and don’t play the victim role
• Know your “why?” and have a purpose
• Follow your excitement
• Take baby steps
• Face your fears
• Simplify your life
• Move your body
• Visualize the outcome
• Experience small rewards
• Create a healthy morning routine
• Ask for help
• Be held accountable
• Remove all distractions

Need Help?

Want me to help you get motivated as your coach?

Contact me below so we can schedule a free consult.

Or go back to my profile for more information.

Ready to change your life?

In this article you will learn 16 simple things you can do to move your life in a positive direction.

Step 1 – Accept 100% Responsibility For Your Life

The first step in this process is to stop playing the victim role and accept 100% responsibility for your life.

People who live unhappy lives believe that life happens to them. People who live joyful lives know that they are in control and that life happens through them.

Take control of your life and know that you are creating your reality.

Step 2 – Know What You Want

The second thing you need to do if you want to change your life is have a clear vision for what you want your life to look like, feel like, and sound like.

You need to have a clear vision of what it is you want to accomplish.

You could call this a goal, but it’s more of a vision of your future self.

Take the time to write down all of the characteristics of what you want your ideal life to look like.

Step 3 – Release Old Baggage

“Out with the old and in with the new.”

Before you can bring in new energy, you must release old baggage.

This usually means old negative beliefs and emotions about yourself and other people.

It is important that you forgive everyone that has had any negative effect on your life.

But most importantly, you must forgive yourself.

Step 4 – Love Yourself

The only way you will truly be able to change your life is when you love yourself unconditionally.

No one can love you unless you love yourself.

This may sound like a simple task but if your life feels unfulfilled or stuck, then you probably have some unconscious beliefs that do not allow you to truly love yourself.

If you want to “get what you want”, you must first believe you “deserve” it.

Step 5 – Find The Positive In Every Situation

The hardest part in changing your life will be to find the positive in every situation and welcome the challenges into your life.

You are going to need to work on your old beliefs and definitions about life and every circumstance that presents itself.

Life is completely neutral and meaningless.

You get to assign meaning to any situation that presents itself.

Therefore the only way you can extract a positive experience from something is by choosing to find the positive in it.

This is where your true power comes from.

Because your life is currently filled with “negative things,” you need to be able to turn those lemons into lemonade and extract a positive meaning no matter how bad it may look.

Step 6 – Stop Complaining

In continuing with the idea of finding positive in every situation, you must never complain about the circumstances in your life.

Complaining is the fastest way to hand your power over and lower your energy.

People who complain are playing the victim role.

Step 7 – Be Grateful

Before you can truly change your life, you must be grateful for what you do have.

All too often people who are unhappy with their life focus on what they don’t have.

You need to focus on what you do have and be grateful for it.

Remember, no matter how bad your situation is, there is always someone out there who has it worse.

What you choose to focus on expands.

By remaining in the state of gratitude, you make it easier for good things to come your way.

But you must do this with no expectations. It must come from an authentic place.

Step 8 – Get Organized & Simplify Your Life

A cluttered house is a cluttered mind.

You need to create the space for new energy to come into your life.

Therefore, you need to clean up and get organized.

If you are messy in any way, you need to get rid of all the junk you don’t need and simplify your life.

Step 9 – Find Your Life Purpose

Without having meaning in your life, you will wander around aimlessly not sure what the point of living is.

You need to take the time to figure out what your life means to you.

> What do you want to accomplish?

> What excites you?

> What are you passionate about?

Once you find your purpose, you will get energized and this will motivate you to make more change in your life.

Step 10 – Eat Healthy

You are what you eat.

Junk foods bring your energy down and then will attract low vibration circumstances.

Clean high vibration foods will attract positive circumstances.

It also allows you to think clearly and respond to life challenges in a much more loving way.

Your body is a vessel for your life experience. Therefore if it is toxic, you will attract toxic circumstances.

Clean out your body and only input good foods.

Step 11 – Surround Yourself With Positive People

For the time being, you need to remove all toxic people from your life.

You are not strong enough (yet) to hang around with them.

You need to surround yourself with people who are creating the type of life you say you want to create for yourself so it will “rub off on you.”

By surrounding yourself with these people, it will make it easier for you to change your life.

And once your new life has taken form and has become your “normal” routine, then you can (on occasion) hang out with people who are having issues because now you can help them change their life (if they want it.)

Step 12 – Consume Positive Information Only

Information is food too.

Stop watching the news and junk TV or internet media.

You need to ONLY be putting in healthy, positive, and uplifting information.

Surround yourself with good books and subscribe to social feeds that are only uplifting.

Stay away from any information that is considered negative (especially if it is gossip.)

Remember, this is just for now.

Once you find your center and become strong enough, then you can re-engage the negative information to help transform it into positive.

But for now, you are not strong enough.

Step 13 – Find A Job You Love

You spend half your life at work.

You need to find something you can do that uplifts your spirit and brings you joy.

Sometimes it may not be what you are doing but how you are doing it.

It does not have to be some big life changing project (although it can be.)

It can be something as simple as being a cashier so long as you do it in a positive and uplifting way that brings joy to you and the people around you.

Step 14 – Take Massive Action Every Day

Don’t just expect things to change because you did a few things here or there.

Until you build up a new momentum, you need to take massive action each and every day.

Become obsessed and relentless with taking action if you want to change your life.

Step 15 – Find A Mentor

Mentors and coaches (some of them) are great people who have walked down the path you are on and understand the twists and turns of this process.

Because the journey you are on is not easy, it’s important that you find someone who can help guide you along the way.

Don’t be stubborn or talk yourself out of asking for help.

We all need it.

Step 16 – Be Patient

Because you will still be manifesting your “old self” (because in a sense, it is still being generated from your old beliefs and definitions,) this means that for some time you are going to have to know that even though you are making changes in your life, the “old life” is still showing up.

Be patient, it does take some time before your new life can start to “show up” from the changes you are making on a more consistent basis.

Want me to help you change your life as your coach?

Contact me below so we can schedule a free consult.

Or go back to my profile for more information.

Need help finding a job you love?

In this article you are going to learn the exact process of how to choose a career path.

In it, you will discover why:

1. It’s important to define your own success
2. Having a clear understanding of your lifestyle is so critical
3. You should be an expert in your industry
4. Being passionate about your industry is crucial
5. You need to find something that accentuates your natural talents
6. You need to pick a career where you will be appreciated

+ more!

1. Define Your Own Success

Before you go out and choose a career path, it’s important that you take the time to determine what success means to you.

Chances are, you have been bombarded with messages from your parents, family, society, and friends about what success means.

Generally speaking, it looks like this:

> High paying job
> Big house
> Kids
> Nice car
> Two or three week vacation

Etc…

You know, the “American Dream.”

While this may work for some people, now more than ever people are waking up to the fact that making a lot of money and working crazy hours for it does not equate to being happy in life.

The first question you must ask yourself is this:

1. What do I want?

2. What makes me happy?

3. What does success look like to me?

2. Create A Lifestyle You Love

The biggest mistake most people make when they choose a career path is that they tend to just focus on survival needs (i.e. making money).

Very seldom do people actually take the time to think about the lifestyle they want to live.

And I am not just talking about your comfort level and stuff you can buy with money.

I am talking about how you spend your time each day.

Many people assume that when they choose a career path that they automatically have to succumb to the 9 to 5 Monday through Friday regimen.

This is not true.

There are many creative ways to develop your career that compliments your lifestyle.

It all comes down to what you want.

So spend some time thinking about what you want your day to day life to look like first.

3. Become An Expert

When choosing your career path, it’s important that you have the mindset of becoming the best at what you do.

The only way you will be able to create leverage and have more negotiating power with the company you work with is by establishing yourself as an expert in your field.

This means you are going to have to eat, sleep, and breathe the information that makes up this industry.

Therefore, it’s very important you choose the right career path to ensure it is authentic to who you are.

The last thing you want to do is become an expert at something you really don’t care about (which makes up more than half our society and is why so many people are miserable).

By increasing your perceived value, this will allow you to increase your earnings, work less, work flexible hours, and the company will treat you with more respect.

High level team members want to surround themselves with other people who are at their level or at a higher level.

Therefore it’s important that you be perceived as their equal. And the best way to do that is by establishing yourself as an expert.

4. Love Your Industry

When you choose a career path, you will now become part of an industry.

The people who make up this industry are now your community and tribe.

You will be seeing them at conferences, talking with them via email, and constantly engaging with these people about your subject matter.

Since you are going to spend more time with them then you will your own family, shouldn’t you care about the industry you are a part of?

Your industry is part of a collective group on this planet that is producing a product or service that (hopefully) is improving our society.

Just look at all of the industries out there and you will see they all have a common message and “vibe” about them.

Whatever career path you decide on, make sure you love that industry because it will become your second family.

5. Tap Into Your Natural Talents

When you are trying to figure out how to choose a career path, it’s important that whatever you do taps into your natural talents.

Each one of us has a set of special talents and its important that your job accentuate those talents and give you an opportunity to improve upon them.

This does not mean you will not have to learn anything new because you will.

But rather than trying to force yourself to become something you are not, just be your natural self and find something that aligns with your existing set of skills.

6. Be Appreciated & Acknowledged

Whatever you do, make sure you find something where you will be appreciated and acknowledged.

As human beings, we all need to feel love and respect. Without it, we will become miserable human beings.

Notice how unhappy people are at work?

That’s because they are doing something they hate or not being appreciated for the work they do.

Having to go to a job day in and day out where you are never acknowledged or appreciated will make you feel awful no matter how much they pay you.

Want me to help you find your career path as your coach?

Contact me below so we can schedule a free consult.

Or go back to my profile for more information.

A complete guide on how to become a life coach including accredited schools costs, average salary, & requirements to becoming certified:

About life coaches

Life Coaching can be referred to as a process which occurs in a solid and mutual relationship between a professional coach and an individual who strives to realize his/her aspiration, in order to make a dream become a reality or find a way to improve him/herself. In order for the process to be effective, it requires the personal effort from the client and also the life coaching work, which is why it is termed a relationship.

A Life Coach is an individual who has been professionally trained to help clients to make the most of their potentials and realize their expected results by asking them the right questions, empowering them with the best tools, and offering guidance. In order to achieve this, in addition to their education, life coaches also strive to constantly better themselves so as to accomplish more significant results with their clients.

Certified Life Coaches employ varieties of tools to encourage their clients to make a turnaround and better improve their lives. All these were learnt in specialized schools that have to maintain a high standard of practice in order to be deemed qualified to train professional life coaches.

The schools make provisions for the necessary tools and equip their students with the required skills. These students are emphatic human beings who possess the quality of being able to effectively communicate with people at a high level and they employ this quality to help individuals live a happier and accomplished life.

How do life coaches help their clients?

Life Coaches act as advisers, motivators and guides to their clients, to help them through various personal and professional matters. Some of the reasons why the service of Life Coaches are sought after by individuals include life changes, definite professional projects, emotional independence, relationship issues, improved physical and financial health, and spiritual evolution.

The coaching process essentially involves evaluation of the client’s precise issue, determining and surmounting the likely challenges and based on the client’s preferences, design a plan that will enable them to realize their goal and make the necessary changes that can transform their lives.

Most times, clients approach these professionals with no idea of what aspect of their lives needed changes, all they have is a feeling of dissatisfaction. It’s now left to the Coach (by working with the client) to determine the aspect, their wants and needs.

Some situations may even occur where an individual holds a belief that he/she cannot be happy or whole without being in a romantic relationship. Furthermore, it is the duty of the life coach to employ their knowledge and expertise to make adjustments to the goals as required. In such situation, it all depends on the life coach to make the individual understand that before they proceed to form a healthy relationship with someone, they have to first of all need to be happy and fulfilled.

The coaching process is also (and specifically) a process of introspection and self-discovery. It is the job of the Coach to motivate their clients to examine themselves, contemplate their innermost desires and gain knowledge about their root and purpose. Clients are equipped by this process, and it also enhances their self-esteem and self-love, which grants them the strength, the necessary power to realize excellent outcomes with the aid of Coaching and in life.

How much does a life coach make?

It is very obvious that the Coaching industry is growing exponentially. In 2012 alone, up to 47,500 professional coaches who were on the market made an aggregate revenue of $2 billion. The market prosperity may be attributed to the insecurity which stems from the state of the economy in recent times or the increasingly high demand for individuals who are focused on achieving their life purposes, but what matters is that at last, the profession is gaining more prestige.

Coaches are self-employed professionals, which implies that their business is owned by them, and they get to make a unitary decision on their service fee. The amount for the fee can constantly fluctuate based on some certain factors such as field of specialization, skills, additional services rendered and experience.

The next step after making the decision to enter the coaching industry is to find out which sub-area do they wish to specialize in. So as to avoid losing out on potential clientele, the majority choose to be generalists, whereas clients search for seasoned professionals who have a good understanding of their present particular context and phase of life.

There are three areas of practice which comprises the coaching industry. They are executive coaching, business coaching and life coaching. A professional is placed in the position of an expert if they choose a particular specialty, giving them an advantage over their competitors, thereby, assuring a higher income. Furthermore, any individual who wants to make a huge profit in the coaching industry has to ensure they variegate their income. Some of the ways one can make money as a Coach includes giving lectures and seminars, offering training, creating online programs, writing books, and leveraging social networks. In terms of the average salary of these professionals, a coach can make between $25 – $300+ per hour, based on their level of experience and abilities. Coaches who have completed their life coach certification program usually charge between $100 – $150 per hour. On a monthly basis, they can earn $200 – $10,000, depending on services provided by them. Speaking at an event can earn them between $0 – $15,000+.

As a matter of fact, the aforementioned figures depend on the coach’s experience, ability, skill, expertise and level of patronage. In order to be successful in the coaching industry, it’s necessary to have talent, acquire professional training, have the confidence to market yourself, constantly search for new strategies to market and sell your services, and obtain the required skills to grow and thrive as an entrepreneur.

Legal requirements of a life coach

There are people who choose to focus on Life Coaching as their only profession, while there are some  who are very knowledgeable in other fields. For instance, it’s quite common to find some coaches who have experience in mental health or counseling. One does not have to meet certain legal standards to be a life coach, which is unlike other professions, but one will still need to obtain the certification issued by the International Coach Federation.

There are three levels of coach credentials issued by the ICF. The first level is the Associate Certified Coach, and one needs to have at least 60 hours of training and 100 hours of Coaching experience to obtain it. Professional Certified Coach is the second level and one needs to have at least 125 hours of training and 500 hours of Coaching experience to be eligible for it. The third level which is the Master Certified Coach can only be obtained by those who can boast of 200 hours of training and 2500 hours of Coaching experience. These certifications issued by the International Coach Federation are not only limited to Life Coaches, they are also offered to any interested professional. As at now, the ICF offers over 150 Accredited Coach Training Programs worldwide.

But the reality still remains that the coaching industry has inadequate regulations despite its huge strides. Although formal education is not a criterion to be a Life Coach, the coaches that are accredited already have huge value on the market.

How to become an accredited life coach

Over the years, whenever the coaching profession is mentioned, it’s either people who have no knowledge of what it means or they understand a life coach as an arcane individual involved in mystical and mysterious activities. Hardly did anyone really understood what the work of Life Coach is truly about.

As time went by, more people began to have a clear idea of the work being done as people such as Tony Robbins have made it more accessible in the mainstream, the number of coaches increased, and the profession is now viewed as a serious and prominent field. A majority of people now have a good idea of what this profession entails and almost everybody has heard of it.

What has been the setback for the profession is that due to the astronomical economic growth the Life Coaching industry is experiencing, many people have suddenly decided to join the industry and call themselves Life Coaches because they are empathic and possess good listening skills, strong interpersonal intelligence, leadership skills and can offer good advice. This is no different from waking up one day and then decide to practice medicine simply because you have experience in dressing wounds.

The profession does not yet have regulations that prevent anyone from practicing without having been certified by a licensed school. But presently, there are no restrictions placed on anyone from practicing Life Coaching and unlicensed Life Coaches can easily be hired by potential clients.

Certainly, there are some unlicensed coaches who have studied wide on the subject and possesses the required skills and tools, thereby mightily empowered to be of help to clients. But the issue is that coaches who have attended licensed school programs have great and well-versed knowledge of this profession, making them more professionally knowledgeable than those who are self-taught or certified by non-accredited schools.

Why are licensed schools special?

The International Coach Federation certification sets Life Coaches apart. ICF is the leading global organization in the field, its mission is to lead the global advancement of the coaching profession, and facilitate the communities of Life Coaches. The knowledge and support that coaches require are provided by the organization, and they also set the standards for accreditation of life coaching schools.

In order for schools to be certified as an Accredited Coach Training Program (ACTP), they must meet the strict and inflexible standards required by the International Coach Federation. The guidelines for accreditation set by the ICF includes:

• Provision of at least 125 hours of coach skills training
• Training on competency and code of ethics
• Six observation sessions where professionals coach clients while being supervised by an experienced coach
• At least 6 observed-coaching sessions with an experienced coach
• A comprehensive final exam
• The school must have ICF certified trainers
• This is the reason why professionals who passed through accredited schools are set apart from others.
• How much does it cost to become a life coach?
• What can you do with a life coach certification?

How much does it cost to become a life coach?

On the average, the Accredited Coach Training Program fee ranges from $1,500 to $10,000, and sometimes, it may even be more than that. This fee only covers tuition, excluding books, supplies, and other training materials. The amount for this fee tends to vary, depending on factors such as location (online or in person), training duration and the area of specialization upon which the program is based on.

Though to graduate as a Life Coach will cost you a huge sum of money, the investment will worth your while as a life coach stands to make up to and more than $100,000 per annum. All it requires from you is to be certain of the professional line you want to venture into and the wisdom to make a proper investigation on the Life Coach School that will reap maximum benefits for you.

What can you do once you become certified?

As you won’t have your knee surgery done by a quack doctor or have your teeth checked by an unqualified dentist, so also applies to the coaching profession as more and more potential clients are only willing to hire certified coaches.

Some years back, consulting with unaccredited coaches was a normal thing as the accredited ones were inaccessible. As the Coaching profession has grown and become more evolved with increased regulations, more knowledgeable clients are beginning to seek the service of accredited coaches due to their understanding that these professionals are adequately trained to help with their problems.

Enrolling in an ICF-accredited program will provide you with the necessary tools, knowledge and expertise to obtain the maximum expected results with your clients. You will be well equipped to handle each client’s personality and overcome the obstacles they pose. Furthermore, your credibility in the market will improve as a result of your credentials, thereby, attracting more clients who are interested in your work.

An important benefit of obtaining a life coach certification is that it will grant you a permanent status as a member of the International Coach Federation, providing you with full access to publications and research, discounts on events and conferences, and also connect you with other professionals in the field. These fosters partnerships and pave ways for many opportunities.

The main purpose of a life coach is first and foremost to positively impact lives and enable them to grow and flourish. Being certified by a prominent accredited school provides you with the assurance that you have obtained the highest level of training required , which is much more than that what diploma, status or any benefit can give you. This enables you to practice your profession fully aware of your value, possessing the knowledge needed to change many people’s lives for the better.

Resources

ICF