The great Greek philosopher, Socrates, did not go down in history as a personal life coach, but he left us many pearls of wisdom that apply when coaching clients to achieve happiness, success, and personal satisfaction. Perhaps he should be considered the original personal life coach!

Socrates said, “the unexamined life is not worth living.” Couldn’t that apply to the job description of a PERSONAL LIFE COACH? One of the most basic components of your practice should be to ask your clients: Let’s examine your life and see where we can make changes. That Socrates fellow knew what he was talking about, whether he had a personal life coaching certification or not!

Socrates could also be a pain in the butt; he was quite fond of asking “why?” over and over and again, just like an annoying little kid. This method of asking questions became the basis for the Socratic method of teaching. The “why” questions were proposed in an effort to get people to think about their lives, their surroundings, their world. The Socratic method of teaching gives students, or clients, questions, not answers. Socrates taught people to probe, examine, and dissect their lives. Just like a coach should do.

You should be asking your clients, “why?” “Why did you do that?” Why do you think that will happen?” Why are you afraid to try that?” “Why not try something new?” Why do you feel happy, or sad, or afraid, or confident?” There are millions of “why” questions that will provoke discussions, inquiries, and introspection.

Socrates also recognized the importance of dialogue. Dialogue with a friend, a co-worker, a family member, a spouse, or a…coach, eliminates blind spots and leads to breakthroughs. As a coaching professional, one of the most important elements of your practice is to inspire and encourage dialogue.

4 Reasons Socrates Was the First Personal Life Coach

• He asked the “why” questions.
• He understood the value of examining one’s life.
• He assisted individuals with questions that will provide answers on how to live a better life.
• The purpose of life is personal and spiritual growth.

4 Reasons Socrates Should be Your Model as a Personal Life Coach

• He asked the “why” questions.
• He understood the value of examining one’s life.
• He assisted individuals with questions that will provide answers on how to live a better life.
• The purpose of life is personal and spiritual growth.

Obviously, you noticed that I repeated the same four reasons. That’s because those four reasons should serve as the basis for your coaching practice and your work with individual clients. Teaching clients to ask themselves the “why” questions, providing them the tools and the foundation to examine their own lives, and assisting them to find a better life should be the way your describe your coaching practice. If clients can learn to do all that, then you have helped them set out on the road to personal and spiritual growth.

That Socrates was a pretty smart fellow. If you take the time to learn about the Socratic method and the wisdom of this famous Greek philosopher, you’ll be a pretty smart personal life coach.

Fred Philips
Business Coach
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