To become a certified life coach takes more than hard work, training, and skill – it takes guts and grit. No guts, no glory not only rings true on the athletic fields, it also rings true in the coaching industry.

To become a certified life coach certainly takes hard work – you need the proper training, extensive practice, and the pursuit of education and knowledge never ends. As a coach, your goal is to be a facilitator for your clients’ success. That takes plenty of hard work.

However, hard work, training, and becoming certified will only get you so far. You also need skill and talent. Some talent you are born with, but much of it can be learned – that is your skill. If you can combine hard work with skill, you are very close to being a great coach.

But, becoming a certified life coach, requires you to step outside your comfort zone – it requires guts and grit. Do you have the guts AND the grit to become a life coach? Why do you need guts and grit?

3 Reasons it Takes Guts and Grit to Become a Certified Life Coach

1. Criticism. Criticism is an essential learning tool for coaches. Remember Jack Nicholson screaming at Tom Cruise in A Few Good Men? “You can’t handle the truth!” Well, you must be able to handle the truth in coaching. Criticism can come at you from mentor coaches, peers, and clients. If you are lucky, most of it will be constructive, but there may be times when the criticism sounds just plain harsh. The trick is to take all criticism as constructive. If someone is having a problem with you, your practice, your coaching style, or your coaching skills, this is the time to reflect on the reasons for that criticism. Turn a negative in to a positive. Turn criticism in to words of wisdom, and you will become a better coach.
2. Emotions. You are dealing with people’s lives, careers, heath, and feelings. Just becoming involved in the personal struggles of others takes courage. You sometimes feel as if you hold the future of your clients in your hands. That is a daunting feeling; it is impossible to effectively manage those emotions if you don’t have guts. No guts, no glory for you or for your clients.
3. Being You. When you put yourself out to the world as a coach, you are putting yourself out for all the world to see. It takes courage to be YOU while helping clients be the best they can be. Why does it takes courage to be you?

• It take guts to fail
• It takes guts to succeed
• It takes guts to be authentic and different
• It takes gut to be judged
• It takes guts to be rejected.
• It takes guts to express yourself
• It takes guts to expose yourself to your clients

The 4th Reason it Takes Guts to Become a Certified Life Coach

There is one more reason – and it’s a really big reason! It takes guts to be responsible for others. As a coach, you hold the lives of others in the palm of your hand. You have the power to help them, or, if you do a bad job, hurt them. With this power comes an incredible amount of responsibility. Do you have the guts?

To become a life coach and be YOU, means you are both powerful and vulnerable, teacher and student, mentor and apprentice. Being you does not mean you are stagnant, it means you are constantly moving forward. But, don’t be afraid to take a step backward at times. A step backward for reflection and analysis takes guts.

Do you have the guts and the grit needed to become a certified life coach? There is only one way to find out – be the best you can be; have some guts and grit, and go for it now!

By the way… you’re invited to claim your FREE step-by-step “30-Days to Become a Coach” video toolkit. Just go HERE now to get your30-day coaching blueprint videos.

Fred Philips
Business Coach
Writing Team, Coaches Training Blog Community