Life is not always easy, and many people feel as if they get a little lost along the way. Life coaches are trained professionals with a knack for helping people get back on track so they can live their lives to the fullest potential. They help people in business, romance, spirituality, leadership and various other aspects of life. To learn how you can become a life coach, read on.

Many people set goals for themselves and start aiming to achieve them with vigor, but lose steam somewhere along the way. They find themselves wondering where they went wrong, and hopelessness sets in until they lose interest in their goals altogether. Life coaches work with individuals to help them get back on track with their goals and their lives.

While this may sound somewhat like psychotherapy, life coaching is not psychological in nature. Life coaching was modeled after the corporate practice known as executive coaching, relying heavily on leadership training and management consulting techniques.Wikipedia: Coaching: Life Coaching

1. Evaluate your areas of expertise
2. Think of life coaching like sports coaching
3. Attend life coaching seminars
4. Read life coaching books
5. Take a life coaching course
6. Get certified
7. Start your own life coaching business
8. Network
9. Promote yourself

(Creative Commons photo by Monica's Dad)

• When you think of the word "coach," you may envision a sports coach standing on the sidelines, driving his team toward victory. Sports coaches are experts on how the game is played, so when they dole out advice to their team, the players listen. They are driven by a passion that inspires their team to succeed, and life coaches do the same thing.

• Life coaches turn their personal expertise into a business designed to help others succeed in various areas of their lives. So, to start:

1. Reflect on your life experience
2. Think about your personal career experience
3. Discover your passion
4. Evaluate how your life and career experience and your passion can help othersPersonal Development.com: Becoming a Life Coach

• Before you can go out and start showing people how to live their lives and achieve success while doing it, you need to narrow down your own personal area of expertise. There are several areas of life coaching; a few of these include:

1. Business coaching
2. Relationship coaching
3. Financial coaching
4. Career coaching
5. Time management
6. Leadership trainingeHow: How to Become a Life Coach

• Familiarize yourself with each area and decide which aspect of life coaching is most suitable to your personal expertise.

(Creative Commons photo by Melody Campbell)

• There aren't really any specific requirements for becoming a life coach. Virtually anyone can label themselves a life coach, start their own business and go to work changing the world—but the more training you have, the more likely you will be to attract clients.Self Growth.com: Become a Life Coach

1. Consider attending a few life coaching seminars to learn the basics of how it works
2. Speak one-on-one with the life coaches and ask for their adviceeHow: How to Become a Life Coach
3. Look into organizations like the International Coach Federation or the International Association of Coaching, which can help you:
   1. Understand the ethics and guidelines followed by professionals
   2. Connect you with life coaching conferences and events
   3. Get into the right training program for you
   4. Obtain your certification
   5. Validate your career as a life coach, offering a sense of security and professionalism your clients can count onIAC: International Association of CoachingICF: International Coach Federation

• Because life coaching is a fairly new occupation, and there are no state or federal schools that offer life coach education, a number of training courses out there may be questionable in quality. Here are a few things to consider when choosing a life coach training program:

1. How much should this cost?
   1. Is what the program offers worth the cost?
   2. Are they going to try to reel you in with more courses that escalate the overall cost?Personal Development.com: Becoming a Life Coach
   3. A one- to three-year program will cost approximately $15,000Self Growth.com: Become a Life Coach
2. How much time is required before certification?
3. Does the program offer business training?
4. Which online courses are accredited?eHow: How to Become a Life Coach

• Even if you decide not to become a certified life coach, it is highly recommended that you take courses and read books on life coaching to familiarize yourself with how life coaching works.Self Growth.com: Become a Life Coach

(Creative Commons photo by star5112)

• Many who enter into life coaching look forward to the liberation of being their own boss. Life coaching is a personal business, which means you set your own hours and choose your clientele. As you're building your business, be sure to take the following into consideration:

1. Where will you conduct business?
   1. In your home
   2. Office location
   3. Over the phone
      • Conducting business over the phone means you can provide services to clients all over the world.
2. How much do you plan to charge for your services?
3. How exactly will you conduct the service?
4. How will you assess client progress?
5. How will you safeguard against risks such as personal and client confidentiality?David Bonham-Carter: Setting up a Life Coaching Business
6. Which area(s) of expertise will you specialize in and offer?Wise Geek: How Can I Become a Life Coach

As you are building your life coaching business, there are a few things you can do to get your name out there:

1. Start a website showcasing your expertise and all you have to offer
2. Network: networking can help you build your clientele
3. Self-promote
   1. Run advertisements
   2. Do interviews
   3. Publish articles
   4. Set up a free seminar in a local community building
4. Join a professional coaching associationDavid Bonham-Carter: Setting up a Life Coaching Business

• Life coaches focus their time and energy on helping their clients get back on track in the game of life. Before you begin your career as a life coach, though, spend some time reflecting on your own life. Where do your personal strengths lie? Have you got experience that others will find value in? Attend a couple of life coaching seminars and consider training and certification. Form your business plan and develop a personal network to help you build up your clientele. Remember that the better the service you provide to your clients, the more likely they will be to refer their friends to you.