Is hiring a life coach a waste of time and money? Working with a coach has changed many people’s lives, but the positive result depends both on the professional himself and you. Finding the right coach is like finding a good doctor – when you don’t feel well, you want a specialist. You want someone who uses the most advanced diagnostic methods available, not dragging your feet for years with the same problem and being told to do the same things that don’t give the desired result. Some tricks will help you find the right coach for you, and we are happy to share them with you.
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What should you do before you start looking for a professional?
If you are reading this, you’ve invested quite a lot of time and money in trying different methods of self-improvement, so don’t waste your time and the coach’s time – so take a good look into yourself and your way of life before looking for a professional. You can do this easily with a tool you already have at hand – your phone.
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Having a smartphone is nice, but what do you use it for? For social media, shopping, mail and news? The gadget can do much more for you – track your time, help manage your life, and find out what you put the most effort and time into. You can easily take the first and most important steps towards self-improvement and the life you want with Mastertime. The app helps you take control of life because it clearly shows you what you are putting your focus and time into. You can open the Analysis section at any moment and see how your day, week, or month went. This assessment will help you progress towards your goals, whether you have a life coach or not.
What you need to do to get the most out of hiring a life coach
To avoid wasting your time and money, you better do your homework. The pandemic and lockdowns have changed and disrupted many people’s lives. Even highly successful people share that the past two years have made them rethink what they want from their lives. If you came to the idea of hiring a life coach, it is because you clearly realise that you need growth and change. But these two objectives are very abstract, personal and different for every person. If you go to a life coach and tell them – “I want a change”, without being specific, you will waste much valuable time and still can’t be sure you will get what you need in your life.
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The situation is described very well in Alice in Wonderland:
“Alice: Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?
The Cheshire Cat: That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.
Alice: I don’t much care where.
The Cheshire Cat: Then it doesn’t much matter which way you go.”
Before hiring a specialist, you should review your life vision and the goals you need to achieve to have the life you dream of. (If you still don’t have a life vision, be sure to make one – What is The Best Way to Create a Life Vision and Stick to It). Only after you revise your goals and know what you want in life is it adequate to turn to a professional.
How to find a good life coach
Self-improvement has become a multi-billion dollar industry, and there are many life coaches out there. Lately, anyone who has read two books and taken a course is claiming to be a life coach. Even if someone is famous, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re good. It may mean they’re good at marketing and selling themselves. So, if you want to invest money into hiring a professional, do your research and compare a few life coaches before you make a final decision. Here are a few steps you can take to conduct thorough research:
- Ask friends and even people from your extensive network to give you recommendations for life coaches.
- Find the recommended coaches on the internet. Visit their websites, compare what they offer, and skim through their social media accounts, especially their LinkedIn.
- Check what their clients say about them on platforms rating professional services – like Google reviews or Yelp, for example.
- Register for webinars to see how the coaches you liked interact with their audience and what content they present.
- Download free content from the life coaches’ websites if available — some professionals sometimes offer free guides when you subscribe to their newsletter. Ask yourself if you find the content valuable and relatable to you.
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Signs you’ve found a good life coach
Many professionals will tell you that there is no way to know in advance what you will get or where you will get when you work together. Of course, a life coach is not a magician, but don’t be fooled. It is possible to ensure in advance that you will be in harmony with this life coach and that this person from whom you expect so much will serve your interests best.
- You need to have a good relationship from the beginning – if a coach is not proactive and does not diligently put their time and effort into working with you is definitely a red flag.
- They must use quality tools to measure progress – being proactive is not enough. You may talk all day, but how and what you work on also matters. Is your coach helping you? Do they use modern methods to analyse your life and behavior, and do they make suggestions that are specific to you and your situation? Do they use Mastertime or other time-tracking and analysis methods?
- Are you satisfied with the materials and the exercises your life coach gives you? Are they helpful? If the answer is yes, if you feel progress and see results that you can measure, this is a sign that you have found the right person and professional.
- Have you discussed your goals with your coach? Do you feel confident you are working on specific goals together? If you have found a good coach, you work on clearly defined objectives and constantly reassess the situation as you go.
- A good coach encourages you to express the specific results you expect. In addition, they must confirm they can help you achieve said results and offer a detailed plan to do so.