Do you feel down but are determined to improve your life? Have you finally conquered your pride and decided to accept help? But you think that the help you need should be a professional one. What you want are beautiful promises and guaranteed results. So, instead of turning to your family and friends, you consider life-coaching services. Here is an advice - do not.
Life coaching is all flowery about how it will make you happy and fulfilled within weeks. Coaches promise to take care of all ingredients of happiness. Help you with your relationships, career advice, gaining confidence and finding your purpose in general. Sound like magic. And that is exactly why you should take it with a grain of salt.
You probably guess that the life-coaching industry is new in the market. However, did you know that according to the International Coach Federation (ICF), by 2012 the life-coaching was a $707 million business in the U.S? Below take a look at factors that uncover the less flattering sides of life-coaching.
Who Coaches Whom?
Now, if being a life coach is a profession, one should have relevant qualifications for it, right? Just as there are many self-proclaimed coaches, there are also self-proclaimed educators of coaches. A life coach might show you some certifications the look of which might be more impressive than the worth.
To be a life coach one can join webinars, go to schools or do nothing whatsoever.
Since the concept of life coaching is new, the instruction process varies from one place to another. One training might prioritize ethics during teaching, while another might be more marketing focused. So, it becomes pretty hard to understand how reliable a coach is.
What Will a Life Coach Advice You?
Will there be solid advice besides the magic promises? Is it any like business coaching? Imagine if a business owner strives to increase the productivity and loyalty of his team. So, he hires a business coach who provides him with specific steps that would work towards that goal. Maybe employee benefit programs would help? If yes, a good business coach will show how its done well.
With life-coaching it is more about advice. Achieving goals requires certainty. Wasting your money on advice which might not lead anywhere is not a good option.
Coaches Depend on You
Financially, of course. Life coaching is an easy money industry, no doubt about that. Most coaches will charge between $75 to $200 per hour. So, making you a happy person in an instant is not in their best interests. Therefore, if you decide to hire a coach anyway beware that a dependent relationship will do no good.
What About Confidentiality?
A life coach might promise it to you in person but not on paper. The coach-client relationship is not secured legally. Thereby, your confidentiality is not safe either. While you might be sure with law-client and doctor-patient cases, be careful when letting your life coach too close.
Talk to Your Friends
