In favor of life coaching

One of my New Year’s resolutions is to find one paying client for my life coach business.

When I tell some people about my desire to be a life coach, they laugh, finding the need for such a person to be ludicrous. When I first heard about the career of life coaching, I thought it was a little silly, too. The person to whom I spoke had just completed training as a life coach and was looking for her first client, and while I’m sure she turned out to be an excellent life coach, I was underwhelmed with the idea that training could prepare you for such a job.

If I were looking for a life coach, I would be searching for someone who had accomplished much without the benefit of privilege or had overcome great adversity.

Preferably, a combination of the two would be best.

I would also want a person who is not afraid to be honest and direct—potentially a jerk, even, but a jerk with good intentions.

In this regard, I believe that my credentials are impeccable.

And while the concept of a life coach might still seem silly to many, I’ve come around to seeing the value of this work. After working with a couple of people on a pro-bono basis, I’ve learned that a life coach can be invaluable to some and can legitimately change a person’s life for the better.

Life coach Carol Kauffman would agree. In this piece in the Boston Globe, she sums up the process well:

“Therapy helps you overcome the challenges of the past, and coaching helps you very clearly identify your vision of the future. Coaching is a process of change that revolves around strengths and potential, rather than feelings of pathology and pain.”

I might have summed it up like this:

“I ask many questions, challenge assumptions, push buttons, offer options, and ultimately help my clients realize why they are not achieving the desired success. Then I dare them to do as I recommend.”