Do You Need A Life Coach?

Feel a bit confused by life? Want to get a handle on it all, but don't know where to get started? You may need a life coach.

A fairly recent phenomenon, life coaches gain applause in some circles and ridicule in others. If your life seems to be falling apart, the thought of a life coach may come with a mixture of appeal and embarrassment. After all - shouldn't you be able to get over this by yourself?

What can you expect from a life coach, and is it the best option? Or is it better to get your stuff together on your own? Keep reading to get a quick introduction to the services provided by a life coach and how you may benefit from having one on your side.

A life coach does for the rest of your life what a personal trainer does for your health and fitness. -Elaine McDonald

What Is a Life Coach?

Put simply, a life coach helps get you ready for the future. Whereas therapists work you through the errors of your past, a life coach is only concerned with the past as much as it helps him or her determine an appropriate path for your future. They're much more interested in the present and future.

Some life coaches have backgrounds in psychology, which helps them understand the best way to motivate you. Others are certified through organizations such as the International Coach Federation. Still others have lived full lives and feel they have the experience needed to set other people's life on track. Regardless of their training or experience, all life coaches try to get you where you want to be faster than you can get there on your own.

What Services Does a Life Coach Provide?

One of the first questions you're likely to encounter from a life coach is, "Where do you see yourself in one, five, or ten years?" From relationships to personal growth to career choices, life coaches offer guidance and assistance in making better decisions and ultimately leading a fuller, happier life. They do it by teaching specific stress-reducing techniques that meet your exact needs. They do it by holding you accountable. They do it by pushing you to take Gandhi's advice and be the change you want to see.

If the first change doesn't work, the life coach will quickly guide you to another technique. But not before a close inspection of the failed methodology. Doing this determines the cause of the failure and helps you avoid this same downfall with other techniques. The trial-and-error process is largely led by you, so you have ownership over your own improvement, while the life coach is simply an aide to your betterment.

Do you suffer from severe depression or another mental health issue? A life coach is not the route you should take. Though you may think a life coach could help pull you out of the pit of despair, you require a more medically based approach for appropriate care.

Who Needs a Life Coach?

Practically everyone is a candidate for using a life coach. However, if you feel like you keep making the same bad decisions, wish you could do something to bring about more permanent happiness, desire to feel more at peace with your life, or would like to pump up the passions in your life, you're more likely to gain the most benefit.

Of course, like any good coach, a life coach doesn't make the changes in your life for you. He or she simply makes suggestions on ways to improve. So if you're not going to follow through on a life coach's advice, you are not a good candidate for a life coach, regardless of how discontent you may be with your life. Also, hiring a life coach can be very expensive, so this is open only to those with a good bit of expendable income at their disposal.