Hey Coach Jey, What is the education required to be a coach and where can I get my certification?” This just came into my email box for the eleventh time in a row today. Ever since I was featured in the New York Times as one of the young successful coaches of our time my inbox has been flooded with this same question.
Young men and women all over the world are reaching out to me, wondering how they too can become a life coach.
Look Inward Before You Seek Outward
I’m always shocked in my personal journey, as well as the challenges of my clients, to find we often look outside of ourselves for answers before we consult our inner guide. I believe posing the question of the education required to be a coach should never be your first research. In fact, I think often times people hide behind education as a way of building up self confidence. Perhaps if you looked toward creating a solid foundation of confidence and connection toward the direction you are considering going you would find more success. The focus on certifications and the education required to be a coach is an easy way of looking for instant gratification. I was watching the olympics and listened as they repeated a really powerful quote a few times.
“Confidence is the little voice within that tells you you belong.” When you watch the gold medalists it’s clear, they KNOW. My advice is to first do the research it takes to discover if coaching is where you belong.
Try it On Before You Buy it
I love connecting with aspiring coaches. I live for the moment when someone steps into their purpose and becomes a contribution to the world. This is the most rewarding part of being a life coach for life coaches. There is an excitement and curiousness about them that goes beyond their education and into the deepest desires of personal experience in life.
The most shocking thing to me in connecting with new aspiring coaches is that they have never had a life coach. HUH? The most valuable advice I can offer an aspiring coach is not to start acquiring the education required to be a coach, it’s GET A LIFE COACH. You don’t become an Olympic gold medalist by jumping into intense training, you try out a sport first and discover that you like it and that you have the strengths to make it your life. The rewards of having a life coach first is far more beneficial than any of the education you might find required of you to become a coach.
Get a Life Coach Before You Receive The Education Required to Become a Coach
The most valuable advice I have ever received or given is to hire a life coach before you become one. This will put you leaps and bounds ahead of your competition. It will strengthen your confidence to help you decide if you belong and it will allow you to try it out before you buy it. The benefits run deeper than that.
- You will make personal connections.
- You will experience what happens over time with a client.
- You will have personal results and experiences in coaching to share with your client.
- You will learn coaching tools and techniques by first applying them to your own life.
- You will not be a hypocrite.
If you are going to try to sell coaching to people you will be more powerful doing so having personal belief in the importance of having a coach. The three concerns every prospective client has in signing up for coaching is
- What will I get from having a life coach?
- Why can’t I use the tools and techniques on my own?
- Is it worth my money?
I have never once been asked after conducting a consultation session “What is the education required to become a coach that you have received?”, or “Are you certified?”.
Once you get
you’re gonna have to start prospecting. You’ll be a successful coach who actually has clients if you can say “Let me tell you from my personal experience how a life coach can change your life and what investing in one did for me.” I run Mentor Monday through “the RSVP revolution” with all new aspiring coaches and this has proven over and over to be the best and most valuable advice that gets my new coaches answers and results.
The coaches that
- Know they belong
- Hired a Life Coach before becoming one
- Continue to have a coach of their own after becoming a successful coach
Get hired EVERYTIME before Mr. “I got the education required to become a coach”. Run with that oh mighty one and win your gold!!
Special Bonus – Learn 3 simple ways to become a life coach with the “30-Days to Become a Coach” video toolkit when you fill in the form at the top right and click the “Watch The Videos Now” button. You’ll learn how to change your client’s life in 45 minutes.
Jeannine Yoder
Life Coach
Writing team, Coaches Training Blog Community
Leave a Reply