Do you like working intimately with people and feel inspired to help them? Perhaps you want to make a positive impact in the world? Wanting to be a life coach is an increasingly common ambition.
Darn it feels good to be a gangster life coach.
Rather than sitting at a desk or swinging a hammer, you get to create deep connections with people who truly value your time and support. Most coaches I meet are highly energized and satisfied with their lives. It’s a very fulfilling activity, and one that I am personally passionate about. I have worked with a half dozen coaches and love every single one of them because they all helped me grow into who I am today.
On average life coaches in North America charge between $100 and $300 per hour and meet with their clients once a week. They earn over $60’000 per year and 75% of them expect their number of clients to increase over the next 12 months.
Life Coaching is a booming industry.
Back in 2016, there were over 60’000 coaches in the world and according to a study led in 2016 by the International Coach Federation that number is increasing by 6% every year. The global coaching market value is currently estimated to exceed $2.4 billion with 40% of that revenue located in North America.
Not only is the industry growing, but people are more and more open to receiving coaching, which has less of a stigma than receiving therapy: this is a great time and place to be a life coach.
OK, I want to be a life coach, but is it really the right career for me?
Whether you are deciding on your first profession, or you are already working a job and ready for your next career – to be or not to be a life coach is a difficult question. There are many things to consider, so paralysis from analysis is to be expected, and nothing to be ashamed of! In general, when making decisions, it can help to draw a pros and cons chart, because putting things down on paper can allow your brain’s memory to relax, and to focus instead on envisioning and feeling. That’s where the decision magic happens!
Request your life coaching career choice worksheet.
In order to better coach you through this difficult decision, I have created a career-choice worksheet that will help you quickly evaluate your different options based on several pertinent criteria, such as income, effort and feeling of accomplishment.
Just enter your email below, and I will send you the career choice worksheet.
OK, now go check your email and look for a message from coach.today to get the sheet. Be sure to confirm you want the sheet when prompted.
Using the worksheet.
For each of the career paths you are considering, print a copy of the worksheet. For example, if you are currently working as a teller at the bank, but considering becoming a life coach, while also playing with the idea of a career in the skies as an airline steward; you should print 3 copies of the worksheet.
Then, fill them out, one sheet at a time, without switching to the next until you have fully completed the one you are working on. There will be a lot of questions you can’t confidently answer off the top of your head. For those, use google to research answers and your best guess as a last resort. Any answer is better than none! After you have filled them all out, you can add additional criteria in the “Other” fields. Make sure you add the same criteria on all sheets for each of the careers you are thinking about.
By now, you should already feel a little lighter, having written it down. Your mind can relax, no longer trying to remember all this information in order to process it.
Take a 5 minute break and let your mind rest.
Now, lay the sheets out in front of you. Reread them and for each one, try to summarize that career out loud. What is noteworthy about that path? It is a lot of work but also a lot of pay-off? Is it easy but not so satisfying in the long run? What will your life be like if you follow that path?
Try to determine which criteria are most important to you. What sacrifices are you most willing to make?
Ultimately, which of these paths is most appealing to you?
This exercise should give you some clarity on which career is the best decision for you to pursue, and hopefully allow you to commit fully to being a life coach, or not.
If your decision is to become a coach, I highly recommend that you download our free Personal Branding for Coaches ebook and start immediately on defining your audience and identity as a life coach! This will allow you to gain clarity on who you can best serve and in which ways you will be best known to help people.
I hope you found this article useful, and I would love to know: which criteria are most important to you when deciding on your future career?
One Response
Merci Adal
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