5 Fundamental Steps to Becoming a Life Coach
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DID YOU KNOW: Studies conducted by the International Coaching Federation on the effectiveness of life coaching showed 99% of the people they interviewed saw their experience of working with a life coach as rewarding, while 96% stated they would do it again.
Imagine waking up every morning excited and happy to start your working day. What would it mean to you to make money by living your passion, and helping other people achieve their dreams?
In this post I show you the fundamental steps you need to take to start a crazy successful life coaching business, and create meaningful change. Not only in your life, but in the lives of many others around the world.
7 years ago, I made a choice – one that helped me figure out what I enjoy and what I am good at. It led me to happily and passionately run my own business, and help others with the skills and knowledge I now have.
Knowing and trusting yourself is essential if you want to build yourself your perfect business—a business that reflects who you were born to be.
One of the most rewarding parts of my business is seeing my clients create change in their lives. Today I want to share how you can do the same and start your own life coaching business.
Step 1: Decide you Need Change in YOUR Life!
The definition of madness is to keep doing everything the same way and expect different results. For me, that started when I was working in a beauty salon. I loved working with my clients but my boss was a real pain. The salon was situated in a suburban area and bins had to go out on a Monday. The salon was closed on Sundays and Mondays so my boss decided part of my duties was to take the bins out. It was considered part of my “normal hours” and was not given any extra compensation for going in on my day off to put the bins out. I remember cursing more days than not!
One year I asked if I could leave early on Christmas Eve as my family always celebrated Christmas on the 24th December, and my siblings had especially flown in from interstate that year. I was told that even though we weren’t taking any clients after 4pm on the 24th, I had to stay at work until 9pm just in case someone wanted to buy a gift voucher. No one, and I mean no one entered the salon past 4pm and my boss finally allowed me leave at 8pm – aaaggg super annoying!!
There were so many examples of things like this happening, if I had to mention them all here I would be writing a novel, not an article. But as much as I was so angry and frustrated at my boss, ultimately I have come to recognise what a massive favour she was actually doing for me. It was because of her attitude that I finally got the courage to acknowledge change was needed!
Step 2 – Listen to Your Instincts and Messages from the Universe.
I noticed if I take my dog for a walk and something feels “off” to her, she insists on crossing the street. She doesn’t apologise for it, she doesn’t stop confused whilst she thinks it through, she just pulls and pulls at her leash until we cross the street. I’ve noticed there are certain houses she just does not like walking past.
Man is the only animal who ignores his own instincts. Why do we do that? How many times in life do we find ourselves in a situation that we knew felt wrong when we got into it?
How often do we know we should do something, but talk ourselves out of it, and then later regret it. How often have you done something because you felt pressured into doing it and spent days, weeks even years berating yourself for it?
A huge element of learning happiness is knowing when to listen to yourself. If something feels wrong, chances are it is wrong and your gut knows it. So stop making excuses, forcing yourself to finish something just because you started it, or because someone expects it of you, or because you keep telling yourself it’s the right thing to do, even though you doubt that’s true.
Listen to your gut and the little whispers in your heart that are guiding you, showing the way to your soul’s true purpose and true happiness.
Step 3 – Take Action
A very inspiring entrepreneur once said to me:
“Plans and thoughts without action are absolutely useless in making you money”
I have found this to be true, not only in business but in life.
When I was still working for this particular salon, I found myself at a crossroad, I knew I wanted change, but did I just want to look for a new job, or was I so over it all that a career change would be a better fit?
I had no idea what to do, and no idea how to find out what to do.
One morning I sat in meditation to calm my chaos, but my monkey mind would not shut up. The more I tried to find the stillness and silence I usually got from meditation, the more my mind raced with a million thoughts. And the more I thought, the more frustrated I felt because I could not shut my mind up. I felt like I was getting no where.
So I did the next logical thing….I went shopping 😀🛍
Although not the biggest fan of shopping in crowded areas, it can actually be a good idea to get out of your space. Blocked energy can really hold back the creative process, and when you feel super frustrated – there is a lot of energetic blockages going on. That day I just felt like going out and buying something nice for me, so I did. I went to a little local shop close to me that sells the most beautiful crystals, incense, tarot cards and other really cool stuff.
As I paid for my purchases I saw they had a free spiritual magazine available on the counter. I never read those things, so I don’t normally pick one up. But that day, I added one to my shopping bag and left the store. When I got home I decided to peruse the magazine whilst I was eating my lunch.
In the magazine there was an ad to become a life coach with the Inspired Spirit Coaching Academy.
Mmmm sounds intriguing, but I was very sceptical about coaching, knowing next to nothing about it, so I ignored the ad.
But for days I kept thinking about this ad, there was something that just kept nagging me about it. So finally I went back to the ad and looked up the website.
And boy-oh-boy am I glad that I did.
If I knew how life coaching would change my life I would have done it years earlier. As I now look back over the years to when it all began, I realise how many synchronicities there were.
- I don’t like shopping, but I went shopping that day.
- I never pick up free magazines – I always felt that they were a waste of earth’s resources and just filled with spammy stuff, but that day I picked up a magazine and took it home with me.
- I kept thinking about the ad until I actually did something about it.
If that wasn’t the Universe guiding me, I don’t know what is!
So I listened. I took the plunge, paid for the course and studied to become a life coach with the Inspired Spirit Coaching Academy – and I have never regretted it – ever.
Step 4: Knowledge Is Power
And the practical application of knowledge is one of the golden keys’ to success.
To run a successful business you need to know what you are doing. My course may have been about life coaching, but the business skills I learnt along with it were incredible.
Remember the horrible boss I mentioned previously? Well, at the time I worked for her my dad was quite ill. I used to feel so guilty that I was always working and could not spend more time with my Dad. I know my Mum needed the break but without money I could not pay my bills, and my boss hated me taking any time off work, so I kept working more than I should. Finally with the courage and support I had gained from my coaching course, I decided to work for myself.
I loved it, but after my dad passed away I decided my work needed more flexibility. I wanted to be able to work from anywhere and I wanted to learn more about marketing, but I also wasn’t ready to stop seeing my clients. I used the Law of Attraction techniques I learnt in my life coaching course, and it manifested!
I started working part-time for an online ecommerce business where I was able to work from anywhere, so long as I still had an internet connection. And as I was only part-time, it still gave me the time to see clients.
Within my part-time work I moved around to a lot of different positions – all of which taught me so much about marketing – just like I had wanted to manifest!!
When an arm injury made working on my clients too painful, I switched to working online full time. Now I work in my business, from home, or any other location I choose.
Step 5: Trust yourself
On of the biggest lessons I leant was to trust myself. I know me best – what I’m good at, what makes me happy. But unfortunately fear and doubt can rear their ugly heads at times. It’s easy to think that maybe now is not the time to learn about life coaching, or I’m too old, or other people are good at it, but I won’t be.
Stop.
Trust Yourself.
You’ve got this!
If your spirit is calling you to help others – coaching using the Law of Attraction so others can also create success in whatever area they desire -and in doing so YOU become confident, empowered and achieve your own success – then this is what you’ve been waiting for…
