Why would someone go to a Life Coach?   If you are in the market to hire a life coach, but don’t know where to start, this article can perhaps shed a little light on what is possible. If you are a life coach yourself, this article may give you some insight into what people are looking for so that you can begin to target them and add more value to your existing clients.

It can be hard to define what a life coach does when there are so many different areas of life that can benefit from coaching. Fortunately, many coaches let the public know that they specialize in a particular area. So, if you are looking to hire a life coach, chances are you will find the perfect coach for your needs. Also, if you are a life coach, but not already advertising your particular niche or expertise, you need to start now!

Below is a handy list of just some of the things life coaches are good for, and some of the areas they focus on:

• Making career choices. Are you, for example, advancing in your career, or wanting to choose a new one? A career life coach can help.
• Improving performance. You might need help on anything from sports to work. Tony Robbins, a famous coach and coach trainer, recently started coaching New York Giants defensive lineman Justin Tuck. Tony didn’t need to be a football expert or sports coach in order to help Tuck boost his confidence and bounce back from previous failures.
• Balancing family and work, or personal and professional life.
• Spiritual guidance. There are spiritual coaches out there for whatever direction you feel you need.
• Help with dating and relationships.
• Time management and other success strategies.
• Achieving goals. This is one of the essential functions of a life coach: helping you to set and attain goals, and holding you accountable along the way.
• Public speaking and presentation skills.
• Starting a new business.
• Lowering overall stress in life.
• Losing weight and improving health & fitness. Many coaches specialize in this and can help you stay on track.
• Expanding your creativity and capacity for action.
• Planning for the future.
• Making more money . . . and
• Just about anything else you can think of!

Life coaches are there to add perspective or perhaps give you a second opinion. Maybe what you’re doing just isn’t working, but you don’t know what else to do. A life coach can help you pinpoint the issue and find a better way. The thing to remember is that its hard for you to see your own problem. As Albert Einstein said: “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.”

I’m sure many of us would like to tackle most if not all of the things on this list. However, life coaching is generally more effective if you focus on one or two areas at a time.

Are you in the market for a life coach? Choose a problem area you would like to see resolved or improved, then take that first big step by finding and hiring a life coach who can help you accomplish what you need to accomplish.

If you’re a life coach yourself, or thinking about becoming one, take a look at Dr. Craig’s free report for life coaches.