How to Become a Life Coach

Do you ever look around and listen to the problems of others and want to help in a meaningful way? Do you sometimes wish you had better tools when you are talking with others about solving a problem?

Becoming a life coach is one of the most meaningful ways to help others attain their goals, and an excellent career for those who love to meet new people, solve real-world problems, and bring the best of out people who seek your help.

Read on to find out how to enter this burgeoning field.

Step 1: Welcome to the World of Life Coaching

Without a doubt, the most comprehensive introduction to the world of life coaching is Walks of Life, written by certified life coach Jill Fratto and the team at National Coach Academy. Complete with sample dialogue and invaluable first-hand experience, this best-selling book has helped thousands of life coaches understand exactly what it means to be a life coach.

Click here to read a sample.

Step 2: Become Certified

After you've got a solid grip on what life coaching entails, your most important step is to get certified. There are dozens of organizations out there purporting to be life coach certifying programs, but the most respected programs are accredited by the ICF and are called ACTPs, which is short for Accredited Coach Training Programs. These programs have been vetted by a respected third party organization and ensure that your training makes you well versed in the skill of life coaching and maximally employable by a larger company or individual clients.

Step 3: Get Hired As a Life Coach

Ask any life coach what the hardest part of becoming a life coach is, and most will tell you it's getting hired. Anyone can pay for certification and study the lessons, but actually getting hired means someone is willing to pay you their hard earned money to allow you to coach them through the most pressing issues they're facing at the moment.

It's a tall task!

But not to fear, landing the job is exactly what all of this training has prepared you for! Whether you're interviewing with a company or on the phone with a potential client, remember that this is the time to let your training shine through.

The best advice I can offer to someone looking to become a professional life coach is to specialize. General life coaches are a dime a dozen, but how many executive life coaches have you found that specialize in career transition? Not many, I'd presume. And this is exactly the kind of limited competition you want to surround yourself with. Specialize in a growing segment of the market and monopolize that specialty. You'll fare much better than if you were to compete with the 39 other general life coaches in your area.