Myths related to Life Coaching

Many myths cloud the realities of life coaching as a profession. Get your facts straight before you enter this competitive and alluring arena.  Demystifying the myths related to Life Coaching is an attempt to bring a spotlight on some of those myths, especially if you are looking for How to become a Life Coach 

The gladiators of ancient Rome hardly ever knew who their next opponent would be. Would it be a mighty, nameless Moor or a ferocious, untamed beast of the jungle? They only found out in the arena. In a sense, they went in blindly. And tragically, their ignorance led to the downfall of many a celebrated hero.

Life coaching is like gladiator sport. You enter the arena with some expertise, some skills, some awareness, and great expectations. But do you know enough to survive and achieve extraordinary success?

Unlike those fallen gladiators, you have no excuse to enter the area blind. Unlike then, you live in a privileged world with easy access to information and technology. This means you can be armed and ready. You can ascertain the true nature of the beast before you fight it.  Demystifying the myths related to Life Coaching is the need of the hour, as more and more coaches are joining the bandwagon of Life Coaching, and hence myths around Life Coaching and Life Coaches is an urgent topic to address.

The essentials ~ Demystifying the myths related to Life Coaching

If you’re serious about establishing yourself as a coach, the first thing you must do is to separate fact from fiction, and read demystifying the myths related to Life Coaching, and be clear with them.

Fiction#1: A degree/diploma/certification is all it takes to make you a coach

Fact: A degree/diploma/certification qualifies you to start coaching. But you’re still a long way from becoming a coach. You need to first start with believing in your skills and abilities. You need to make a small beginning. And to keep learning. Because a little knowledge can be dangerous. But continuous learning as you go along, can make you wiser and more grounded in your knowledge.

At the same time, you don’t need years and years of preparation to set up your practice or work as a coach. For example, attending a Certified NLP Practitioner, Certified NLP Master Practitioner, Certified NLP Coach, Life Coaching Workshops can be the foundational courses you need to get started. And you can always look out for short-term courses/workshops/seminars etc to keep your knowledge fresh and relevant.

Fiction#2: Expensive equals ‘the best in the business’

Fact: Accreditation from institutions like the International Coaching Federation (ICF) or the International Association of Coaching (IAC) will certainly help corroborate your coaching skills. However, the courses offered by those affiliated with the ICF or IAC can declare themselves to be top-notch and charge an exorbitant fee without any real guarantee or evidence to prove their claims. You may have attended what you believed was the benchmark course available but end up feeling completely let down by its content. You have not only lost a lot of money but also valuable time.

Courses that offer affordability and quality are a safer bet. In particular, look for courses that offer to build your capabilities as a coach, not just accreditation. Again you’ll need to be patient and persistent in researching and finding the right course for you.

Fiction#3: Life coaching comes with a prescribed syllabus

Fact: When life itself is boundless, life coaching can hardly be bound to a single overarching syllabus. The key is for you to learn whenever you have the opportunity.

Attending seminars and acquiring certificates are a great way to keep learning. They also initiate you into the community of senior coaches, peers, entrepreneurs, and captains of industry. It will give you insights into various business domains and help you discuss how your methodologies and frameworks can incorporate these insights. You might even find potential collaborators and partners for your practice.

But be wary of the highly commercial aspect of these training programs and seminars. Don’t be taken in by smooth-talking salespeople. It’s their job to sell but you don’t have to buy. Do proper research to verify their credibility and effectiveness.

Fiction#4: Attending a coaching workshop will make you an overnight success

Fact: Attending a workshop is necessary to understand the frameworks and methodologies of coaching. But it’s not the only thing that spells success in your career.

Imagine you are Spartacus, the great gladiator who stood head and shoulders above the rest. Like him, you will need a lot of grit, persistence, and willpower to survive. And above all, your patience will be tested because many others like you would have completed their coaching certifications and short-term courses. You need to give time for your fledgling practice to get established and flourish.

Your potential clients will need to see what differentiates you from the crowd and why they must reach out to you for help. They will not simply flock to you without any effort on your part. In the beginning, it may only be through word of mouth but don’t underestimate its value. How you grow from there depends on the strategies you devise for your business, sales & marketing, branding, and social media presence.

Fiction#5: Coaches work in silos

Fact: Far from working in isolation, every coach needs a coach of their own. If you are to help others help themselves, you’ll need to live by example. No matter how accomplished you are, you do not know it all. You still need somebody who can objectively review your career and prod you towards your desired outcomes. You must, of course, choose somebody that you hold in high esteem and think of as exemplary in the profession.

Fiction#6: Professional titles matter

Fact: While there are plenty of benefits in choosing a niche area to specialize, don’t be bogged down by the need to give yourself specific titles. For example, Executive Coach, Sports Psychologist, Performance Coach, Business Coach, Wellness Coach can be catchy name tags but they limit the clientele you attract. Instead, brand yourself in a way that reflects your expertise, experience, interests and the kind of people you want to coach.

In conclusion

While life coaching is a buzzword these days, not everything you have read or heard or learned or understood about it is factual. This is why you must first dispel the myths about coaching before you help clients dispel the myths they have come to believe about themselves and the world.  Hence, there is a need for a topic demystifying the myths related to Life Coaching.

Start with the facts. Start by relegating fiction to the pages of novels.