What It Takes to Be a Life Coach

A certified life coach can be a complete “life changer” by providing clients the insight and clarity to achieve greatness in their personal and professional lives. They do this through close collaboration, self-assessment, working together to problem-solve, and by finally setting and achieving realistic goals. While this industry is not heavily regulated a “CLC” usually follows a path that includes some degree of training and real-life experience. These professionals can easily identify necessary areas for growth in all aspects of their client’s lives, including in business and at home. This is achieved through frequent meetings where the client’s objectives are discussed. Good life coaches are competent, thoughtful individuals and there may be some initial “soul searching” or self-assessment to make sure they possess these qualities before entering this industry. The necessary “core qualities” for a life coach include:

  • The ability to listen well
  • Good verbal skills
  • Empathy
  • Creative thinking
  • Solving problems
  • Realistic goal setting
  • Ability to be organized, efficient and to track progress.

To summarize, if you are a good communicator, are compassionate, a problem solver, goal setter, organized, honest and a “people person”, this career may be the answer for you.

How much does a professional life coach make?

To achieve the best possible salary, you must complete a certified training program, like the one offered by the International Coach Federation or ICF. You may be required to log between 100 and 2,500 hours of coaching, depending on the level of certification you hope to achieve. During these hours you will focus on the core values we have discussed: Good speaking skills, a personality that is naturally compassionate, social, creative, goal-oriented and is able to find workable solutions for life’s many challenges. For all this hard work, the median salary for a life coach is around $47,000.

Resources to help in starting or expanding your life coach career:

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