Qualifications of a Life Coach (Qualities of a Life Coach)

It begins with a feeling of being stuck. You want to move from point A to point B, but you just can't. Something has a strong hold on you, and you don't even know what it is. You feel like you are banging your head against the wall. It’s frustrating.

We all have been there. Deep down your heart, you know it's true. There are times you just wanted to curl yourself up if fetal position, sleep your worries away, and watch life pass by without a care in the world.

Why? Because you have tried to achieve something so many times and have failed miserably. You have lost your will even to try.

A life coach can help.

But who is a life coach and how do you know they are qualified.

Who is a Life Coach?

The life coaching career can be a little misunderstood. Several people confuse a life coach with a therapist. But these two couldn’t be more different.

While a therapist helps you deal with a specific aspect of your life (mental health), a personal coach helps you analyze who you are and helps you find out your strengths so that you can achieve your best potential and reach your goals.

Anyone can give advice and opinion, but a qualified life coach has to be trained and certified. It’s important that a personal life coach goes through all the training and vetting to ensure they can be trusted to help others.

It’s easy to find out if the coach you are working with is certified or not. A quick check online can show you if they belong to any reputable platform of certified coaches.

So how do you know if you need a life coach?

Are you on a journey of self-discovery? Or do you simply need help to help you discover what makes you tick?

Whether you aim to find fulfillment in a project you are passionate about or to be more confident, it can be challenging to spell out how to move  from point A ( pinpoint a goal) to point B (pursuing your goal.)

A life coach comes in here. A life coach can help you recognize your strengths and weaknesses and help conquer the barriers that are holding you back.

The type of life coach you should see will depend on your problems and what you wish to achieve.

You need to understand these before reaching out to any life coach.

What are the duties of a Life coach?

A life coach helps individuals recognize the obstacles that get in their way, assist them in finding motivation, and point out any impediment to change.

A life coach can help broaden your perspective on your ideas, understand your present experiences, and train you to see things differently. 

They also help you evaluate your beliefs and show you how these beliefs affect your daily life.

It’s important to note though, that a life coach is an impartial brainstorming partner, but you are the one who'll make the decisions and implement them.

Life coaches focus on your current status to help you achieve your dreams so that you can live the life of your dreams.

Now that you know who a life coach is and what he can do for you, let's delve right into what makes the best life coaches unique.

What are the Qualifications of a Life Coach?

Have we talked about training? Yes, we have. A qualified coach needs to take accredited courses to qualify them to direct others.

But that’s not all.

There are personality traits, critical skills that play a significant role in the making of an exceptional life coach. 

Anyone who has ever wanted to make a career of life coaching needs to know that there are skills they just can’t make it without.

Here are the skills that make ordinary people exceptional life coaches

• Patience

“Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting." This must be one of the most important qualities a personal life coach needs to be successful.

The clients they are trying to help are confused and at crossroads. Sometimes they're lost and can't find a way back to where they were before or get where they want to go.

A personal coach’s patience will be put to the test time and again. But they understand that the client may be frustrated by the process of getting help, and it’s up to them to come up with a way to help them overcome their frustrations.

• Tactfulness

A life coach is your own cheerleader. They stand on the sidelines and give support and encouragement but also are firm and honest on hard truths about what's blocking you and what's practical.

Tactfulness is critical for gently giving constructive criticism, ensuring that you understand and is responsive to the guidance your personal coach is providing.

• Broad mindedness

Personal coaches, interact with people from all walks of life. They are trained and have experience in dealing with people of different backgrounds, beliefs and morals.

A life coach is your go to confidant who will not judge you based on how you live your personal life. Their job is to help you, not to change who you are but to help you blossom and bloom where you are planted.

To be this good, they have learned how to set your feelings and thoughts aside and address the issues at hand.

Helping others to achieve their best lives without necessarily agreeing with them is an art life coaches need to master.

If you’ve been looking for someone to help you grow without imposing their weird standards on you, it may be time to start working with a personal life coach.

• Insight:

A significant level of discernment is another necessary trait for a life coach.

They must be able to see past what their clients are telling them and understand listen also to what isn’t said in order to really help them.

They have to learn to unearth the secret desires and both hidden and half-truths. Only insight helps anyone crack these things.

This means a qualified coach has to have the capability to (when necessary) apply their own personal experiences, be compassionate and build friendships to help them connect deeply with their clients.

Here’s how you can find a certified life coach to help you with personal power, budgeting and breakups.