Brain Science and Life Coaching Can you really change the way you think?    Yes!  Are you as a life coach or business coach concerned about how your clients think?  If not, you should be.  The way your clients see the world, the quantity and quality of thoughts they have, and the factors that affect how they think so they get the results they seek . . . ALL these items should be the focus of your coaching . . . that is, if you want to be a really effective coach! Brain scientists, and philosophers before them, have been arguing about how the brain works for centuries . . . in particular,... (Read More ...)

Quick. Do you know what to say? As a Life Coach, you are part of a unique breed. Rather than compete in a dog-eat-dog world for power and riches, you have a real desire to see others succeed . . . and in so doing, know that you will win as well. While your intentions may be wonderful, however, if you can’t communicate them to others, they won’t buy what you’re selling! Below are 41 things you can tell those who want to know the benefits of a Life Coach, and how life coaching can help them. Simply say, as appropriate, “I can . . . .” 1. Be a powerful sounding board. 2.... (Read More ...)

If technology is the answer, what the heck is the question?? Since the early 19th century and the onset of the Industrial Revolution, humanity’s relationship with technology has been one best described as Love-Hate. For centuries, the main struggle was between a) the love of luxury and convenience that technology provides, and b) the hated loss of jobs that technology inevitably brings. The original technology haters were “Luddites” – English textile artisans who, like their namesake Ned Ludd, violently protested against the machinery that made it possible to replace... (Read More ...)

Hard to Become a Life Coach? Think again! I know what it’s like to think, “I can’t do that.” Growing up, I loved to read and write, and I had dreams of being an author. I was also told at a young age that wanting to be an author wasn’t practical, and I needed a Plan B. As a child, I wasn’t thinking about Plan B dreams; I was thinking about what I loved to do. This “knowledge” that I couldn’t do it was crushing. Notice that my child-self immediately took this “advice” and turned it into a belief that I didn’t have a chance.... (Read More ...)

So you made the decision to be a Life Coach. Congratulations! You will be in a position to transform people’s lives . . . but you will also be joining the ranks of those who earn – on average – about the same income as that of a fast food cook. But does it have to be this way? NO!! Just because your skill is not considered “entrepreneurial,” this does NOT mean you have to settle with scraping by. It does mean, however, that you have to WANT to be financially successful as a coach . . . and start taking steps to make this happen! J.F. (Jim) Straw Octogenarian... (Read More ...)

There’s more to life coaching than just positive thinking.Most of us take our subconscious minds for granted. Every day our subconscious minds regulate bodily functions like breathing and our heart beat without our conscious minds having to think about it. It even gives us warnings when something isn’t “right” – whether we’re consciously aware of it or not. This is easily demonstrated by our “fight or flight” response, which causes us to react to perceived threats without consciously thinking about it and even before we’re consciously aware... (Read More ...)

Image Courtesy FreeDigitalPhotos.net “Journaling” is a fantastic way to track progress, whether it’s for yourself or your life coach clients. When you hear the words “track your progress” you probably think of check lists, points, and other means of keeping score. These systems are an important aspect of achieving goals, and as a life coach you’ve probably used them many times. However, when it comes to self growth, sometimes you need to go a bit deeper. Journaling can be used to track your progress in numbers, but it’ greatest benefits are found when you... (Read More ...)

Source: Wikimedia As a life coach, you will help people to identify what is holding them back and how to resolve it. An easy way to begin is to find out whether or not your life coach client’s needs are being met. Even the most successful entrepreneur will not be happy or reach their full potential if one of their basic needs is not fulfilled. A simple way to identify what is missing is to look at Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. I can tell you from experience that it holds true in life. I once spent an entire year in a drafty attic without heat or warm clothing. I relied on the kindness... (Read More ...)

Don’t let fear cloud your vision. Today I’ve decided to write about a subject I’m deeply familiar with: fear. This is an emotion that can shatter your dreams and stop you from living your life. Fear has stolen many years of my life, and the lives of others. For many, in fact, it is the primary motivator of the subconscious mind. So how DO you get beyond fear? As a life coach, you must have tools and the understanding to help move your client beyond his or her fears. The first step is to realize that you often attract clients with problems or concerns that you yourself need to... (Read More ...)

Rewrite your story. We all have personal stories. These are the sum of our experiences, beliefs, and actions. Friends and family have probably made you aware of certain attributes that you’ve come to accept as fact. “She’s such a giving person,” or “He always has good advice.” You hear these things over and over and subconsciously accept them as a part of your story. As a life coach, it is easy to build a personal story where you are the savior of others, or perhaps the humble healer. These characteristics come to define and motivate you, even if they’re... (Read More ...)

Market your life coach business! Marketing your life coach business can be difficult if you don’t know where to start. In my previous post about marketing for mentorship, I shared some basic tips for marketing  your own business. These tips can easily be used to market a life coach business as well. There’s a vast amount of information on the Internet concerning marketing, and no one can read, much less use, all of it. The fact is, much marketing information may even be contradictory to what you are trying to accomplish as a life or business coach. You don’t for example, want... (Read More ...)

Get a head start with life coaching tips. Coaching has existed for decades, so you can imagine that there are countless life coaching tips out there. Vikki Brock wrote in her dissertation “Grounded Theory of the Roots and Emergence of Coaching”: “The data suggest that while the training of coaches and founding of professional associations occurred in the US in the early 1990s, coaching was a service offering in many different countries from the 1980s.” She went on to say that: “. . . coaching has a broad intellectual framework that draws on the synergy, cross-fertilization,... (Read More ...)

Are you a Coach or a Mentor? Do you consider yourself a Coach? . . . or a Mentor?  While the two terms are related in some ways, they are worlds apart in others. Coaching or mentorship? If you see yourself one way – and your client the other – there could be a conflict. Mentorship refers to a relationship of one who has a great deal of life experience or knowledge with one who is less experienced or knowledgeable.  The more knowledgeable person essentially helps guide a less knowledgeable person through the vagaries of life and experience. True mentorship is more than just the occasional... (Read More ...)

Is the power of positive thinking enough? As a Life Coach, it is very tempting to attempt to help a paying client as quickly and easily as possible.  often this means using “the power of positive thinking,” the Law of Attraction and affirmations as tools to (Read More …)  (Read More ...)

Why the Self-Sabotage? Does your life coaching client engage in self-sabotage so often that you sometimes think they should hold seminars on the subject?  Does this behavior frustrate you??  If so, check this out . . . Self-sabotage is rampant in today’s society.  It is, in fact, a form of “negative intuition” that leads the person addicted to it into strange, and often destructive, behaviors or results. Quite often the one engaging in the self-sabotage is unaware they are even doing it!   They are so used to that inner voice telling them what to do and how to act, they... (Read More ...)

Life coaching courses can be found everywhere.  Do a Google search and you will come up with coaching training programs that range from a simple E-Course for $49 to those costing thousands of dollars. The main reason for this is simple:  Life coaching itself has no specific requirements, can be done by anyone who wants to call themselves a “life coach,”  and life coaching courses themselves are based ona wide-open field of study – one that involves both life experiences as well as skills.  So if you are thinking of becoming a life coach, where do you start?  The first place... (Read More ...)