Coaching is an extremely rewarding profession on so many levels, and it’s also one of the fastest growing industries in the world. Through this sequence of short videos, I’m going to teach you the key fundamentals you need to know to get started as a coach, and to create a fun and thriving coaching practice that’s in perfect alignment with who you are, what you value, and what you most want to contribute to others.
In our last video segment, we explored the steps involved in becoming a life coach, and some of the factors that are helpful to consider in order to choose a training program that will prepare you for the type of coach you want to be. Today, I want to look at the benefits of becoming a certified life coach, and teach you how to get a life coach certification in the coaching style that best suits the type of practice you want to create.
One of the questions that I get asked pretty regularly is, “Can you be a life coach without certification?” And my answer to this question is yes, you can coach people without being certified. I actually did that for years, when I was still in the process of studying and learning how to apply the universal principles that support us in creating our lives by design, rather than default. My “clients” were made up entirely of friends and co-workers who simply noticed the changes I was making in myself as I applied these principles in my own life: I lost weight and improved my fitness; I started earning more at my job as a pharmaceutical sales rep; I finally gave up my addiction to dating “bad boys,” and I was generally happier with myself and more optimistic about life. In witnessing these transformations up close, those around me wanted to know what I was up to, and sharing my processes with them helped me to integrate this information even more deeply within myself.
But before I became certified in a basic, specific skillset that every coach needs in his or her toolkit, I was only able to – and comfortable with – working with people on a very limited and informal basis.
So just so you understand, as of this moment at least, there is no accreditation or licensure that is required in order to become a life coach – but that doesn’t mean that all coaches are equal – or that all coaches are perceived by others as equal.
A 2012 study conducted by the International Coaching Federation found that certified coaches reported higher-than-average incomes worldwide compared to those who had not become certified in conjunction with their training. And in a related study also conducted by the ICF, 84 percent of adults who had experienced a coaching relationship reported that going forward, they would prefer to work with a certified coach over someone without this additional distinction.
Just like in every profession, coaching is a skill that can be practiced at varying degrees of mastery. Becoming certified not only makes you more credible in the eyes of potential clients, but the process of becoming certified also gives you exposure to different modes of working with people – and greater opportunities to practice them in real-life situations.
The more experience you have going in, the greater your confidence will be, and the better the result your clients will create for themselves. This translates in to more effortless word-of-mouth referrals, and eventually to you being able to charge more for your services than those with a lesser degree of skill.
As coaches, we are professionals – not unlike physicians, attorneys, or psychologists. The services we provide create reliable results because we have been trained in a particular skillset. Becoming certified by a reputable organization with a proven track record is the only way to ensure the quality of that service. And, it’s also my personal belief that we can’t hold our clients accountable for living their best lives and actualizing their full potential if we ourselves are not doing likewise.
So, whether or not the organization you choose has the authority to certify you in their particular style of coaching is another factor you’ll want to consider before making your final decision.
As a point of reference, the QSCA has not only certified over 1,500 Law of Attraction coaches worldwide, but we also offer advanced training courses for those who have already acquired the basics. The most exceptional coaches in history are those who never stop learning; who consistently reach for more. One of the things I love the most about this work is that the more success and fulfilment we create in our own lives, the more others are naturally attracted to us to find out our secrets! It’s truly a win-win situation for all concerned, and a career that allows for exponential success on literally every level.
In the next short video segment, we’re going to look at just how many different specialties, or niche markets, are possible within this amazing industry – and how more are springing up all the time.
I’d love to hear your thoughts or questions on what we’ve discussed here, so please write to me in the comments below.
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