Have you finally decided to turn your life around? Well, congratulations! Accepting that you need help is the first step to making progress. You are likely considering finding a life coach or mentor to help you outline your goals, make a change, and overcome obstacles.
A life coach can help you address your life challenges and struggles with a practical action plan. However, it can become overwhelming to find a coach that suits your needs with the many types of coaching offered. You may also wonder if you require help from a coach or a mentor. People often tend to confuse coaching and mentoring. Let’s discuss the difference between the two and how to find a life coach.
Coaching and mentoring sound similar because they have minimal differences. However, the approach taken in both is the key differentiating factor. A coach is someone who works with you to help you find solutions to your challenges and the right direction in life to gain success.
On the contrary, a mentor is someone older than you, who has walked a similar path and is in the position to guide you. They help you navigate your life challenges drawing from their own experiences.
Another thing differentiating the two is that mentoring is informal and voluntary. Anyone willing and has the experience can volunteer to become a mentor to someone. On the contrary, coaching is a formal process, and coaches don’t necessarily draw from their personal experience to guide you.
In essence, coaches help you discover yourself, your strengths, and your improvement areas by asking questions and probing deep into the problems you are facing. Sure, they may use their experience and give advice now and then, but that’s not the basis of their coaching practice.
Before looking for a life coach, you must be well aware if you’re seeking out the help of a coach or mentor. It will help narrow down your search. One isn’t necessarily better than the other because both functions utilize different approaches to achieve results and are relevant for specific situations.
Coaching will be short-term and based on a few sessions. However, mentoring can be long-term and done on an as-needed basis. As someone seeking help, you’re the best person to identify if you need the services of a coachee or a mentor.
A coach will help you identify your path and hold you accountable for your progress. They’ll nudge you forward in life if you feel stuck and help you determine the best plan of action to achieve your desired results.
On the other hand, a mentor can guide you from personal experience and give you advice and direction for your problems.
One of the things that can help you find a life coach is knowing the attributes of a good life coach. With more than 3000 life coaches available, choosing to work with one that suits your needs can be difficult. Following are the attributes to look for when selecting a life coach:
Top life coaches don’t just listen; they practice active listening skills. Coaches are trained to help you achieve your best life, and for that, they must listen to you attentively, give non-verbal affirmation, make eye contact, and ask insightful questions.
All of these things ensure they were listening and comprehending your problems. Remember, life coaching is about your goals and aspirations, and a coach must help you identify them.
An effective coach should remain neutral during the session. They should hold you accountable but at the same time remain non-judgmental when they confront you about your decisions and life choices.
Coaches know when you impede your progress, and they should call you out gently. A good coach is like a consultant and a confidant that pushes you out of your comfort zone to help you grow.
Another thing to remember when looking for a life coach is effective communication. A life coach is not there to hand out the answers. However, the questions they ask should be insightful and thought-provoking.
A good life coach should be able to understand your communication style and respond effectively so that they may be able to help you explore solutions yourself.
If you can’t be honest and open with your life coach, there remains no reason to pursue taking sessions with them. With that being said, a coach must be able to set clear boundaries with the coachee.
They are there to help you achieve your goals, and while it is a friendly relationship, they’re not your buddy. Your relationship with your coach should be based on honesty and openness to get the most out of the sessions.
Your problems and goals are unique to you, and so are your needs. A good coach does not try to use a one size fits all approach; rather, they will try to alter their approach to your specific needs. They should be able to guide you in a way best suited to your needs and help you come up with the unique solutions your problems require.
Accountability
Your success will ultimately reflect on your coach’s success, and they should feel responsible for you. There should be trust between a coach and a coachee regarding the follow-up and progress. A good coach holds themselves accountable for the success of their coaches and tries to implement out-of-the-box solutions for things that are not working out.
Before you choose your coach, you must be aware of things to consider that will ensure that the coach will be the right one for your needs. Find out the following things before making an investment in your coaching:
The coaching style of different coaches can differ based on their practice, training, and personality. Some coaches may be organized and supportive, while others may be free-flowing and confronting.
It will be helpful for you to ask your potential coach to describe their coaching style. When their style aligns with your current needs, it will be the perfect coach and coachee relationship. Your current situation may demand a more confronting coaching style, and if you end up with a gentle coach, it may not lead to the expected outcome.
You can ask a potential coach what tools and methodologies they use to ensure they have adopted proven techniques that lead to results. This will help you identify if their approach aligns with your needs and if the sessions will be effective and successful.
A coach should also be well-versed with the different coaching practices, tools and methodologies so that they’re able to use the best one based on the coachee’s needs. Different coaches use different activities to help the coachees identify their inner strengths and weaknesses.
These activities may be conducted online or may be paper-based. This is another thing to find out before booking your session to avoid surprises and inconveniences later.
Coaching is a significant investment, and you want to ensure you’re making it at the right place. Budget plays a big role in selecting a coach that suits your needs. A coach may charge anywhere between $75 and $200 per hour based on your area of residence.
You want to make sure that you can afford the coach you have selected and that they will bring value-addition to your life. It would also be helpful to make an analysis based on what will be included in their hourly rate. Things like additional tools, access to a network, or a money-back guarantee are often the benefits included in the price that coachees can avail.
A successful coach will have success stories to share with clients. While it doesn’t mean they will share their client’s personal information, they should have some track record of their success and results to show for their practice.
It is one thing to feel motivated after a coaching session, but it is another entirely to have tangible and measurable results to show for the progress and success. Ask a potential coach relevant questions that will help you determine if they are the right fit for you.
When looking for a life coach, determine if they are available on the dates you need to book them. You may also need to find out their business hours to ensure they do not clash with your work hours. Most people prefer taking a coaching appointment outside of their work hours.
You may also want to know if your coach will be available only during the sessions or if they check-in between sessions as well? Will you be able to send them an email or a text if you need help with something? Knowing these things will help you decide better if you want to select a coach and if it aligns with your needs.
Beauty For Ashes knows it is hard to move on from what you feel right now, but we are sure that this 30 minute call can be your first step to a new beginning.
Now you know the successful traits to identify and what you should consider when looking for a life coach. So many options can confuse finding the right professional who aligns with your values and needs. Following are a few suggestions on how to find a life coach:
Local groups are often the best source of information for anything. You can seek out coaching recommendations in groups where you can also ask for reviews for the coaches you have shortlisted.
People are often willing to share their feedback and experience, while some reviews may be misleading. Just make sure you’re following sound suggestions and advice in the online groups you follow.
You can ask around in your friends or family circle for a good coach. Most people are willing to pass on the recommendations if they have personally benefited from someone. However, if no one in your immediate circle has benefited from coaching, they may still be aware of coaches they may have heard of in their social circles.
Asking around for a reference doesn’t hurt, and you’re more likely to book someone referred through a trusted source.
Most coaches offer a free consultation session that helps both the coach and coachee identify if they are a good match. You can book yourself for a free consultation to determine if the coach’s style will be the right fit for your current needs.
You should be positive that the coach you choose to work with will help you reach your goals and overcome your difficulties. You should be able to talk to them openly and comfortably. This trust will be the basis on which the relationship will move forward.
Life coaching is a growing industry, and many people are discovering its benefits. It helps you transform your life for the better as you begin to understand yourself and your limitations. A good coach will ask the right questions to help you reflect and engage you in activities that allow you to find out your answers.
For all these reasons, it is important to know how to find a life coach near me that will help you realize your potential and lead you to a better life. Working with a coach will be the biggest investment and one that you make for yourself.
You want to ensure that you’re investing in the right place. Your coach’s style and use of tools and methodologies should be something that will make the sessions fruitful and allow you to make the best of the resources provided by them.
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