Posted By Trisha
Debunking Common Life Coaching Myths
What first comes to mind when you think of “life coaching”? Coaching is one of the most misunderstood services which are offered today. Due to the many misconceptions about the profession, life coaches are often met with eye-rolls and skepticism. These misconceptions and biases primarily exist because of a lack of knowledge or information about the industry, because it is still an emerging profession and an unregulated industry.
6 Common Misconceptions About Life Coaching
#1 A Life Coach will give you advice and guidance on how to navigate through life’s difficulties
Many people think a life coach has the answers to all of life’s problems and will give them advice on their situation, with a step-by-step plan. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Using certain tools, a life coach helps you navigate through your thoughts and your situation until you reach your own conclusions. Throughout this process, we also provide you with support and act as an accountability partner.
#2 Life coaching is time consuming
We live in very demanding times, where it’s difficult to find any free time in our very busy schedules. There are no strict guidelines on how many days or hours you need to spend on coaching, it’s completely dependent on you. You can customise your coaching schedule to be more frequent, or occasional, and with the option of online coaching, this takes a lot of travel time out of the equation. In some cases you can achieve remarkable progress in less than 2 hours of coaching per month.
#3 Coaching is only for rich people
Due to the fact that professional coaching first became popular with high-level executive clients, movie stars, and millionaires, people assume that it’s an intervention which only caters for the rich and famous. As the profession grows, more coaches have started coaching clients from all socioeconomic backgrounds. If you're interested in hiring a coach, shop around to find one who is right for you, and within your budget. Coaching is for everyone!
#4 Coaching is only for people who can’t succeed on their own
Many people viewed, and still view, coaching as a form of intervention for underperformance. As much as this used to be the case, things have shifted considerably since then. Today, thousands of successful people use coaching to help them achieve their greater goals and navigate towards a more compelling and fulfilling future. Some of the most skilled, talented, and successful people get—and benefit from—coaching.
#5 Coaching is a new form of therapy or counselling
Because coaching is still a growing industry, and people don’t have much knowledge about it, this is a common misconception. Whilst therapists and coaches help people live a more fulfilled and productive life, professional coaches don’t diagnose or treat mental illnesses or past traumas. Life coaches focus on the future aspirations of their clients, and helping them achieve their goals.
#6 Life Coaches have their lives in order and are therefore equipped to help others do the same
Properly trained professional life coaches do not give their clients advice on how to mimic their own seemingly “perfect” lives. There is no one on this earth who has their lives in order 365 days a year. Life coaches are simply just trained to have the tools on how to navigate through life’s problems better; this doesn’t mean they always have their lives in order. By modelling imperfection, life coaches are able to teach their clients confidence and resilience.
Don’t let these misconceptions, or bad experiences with unqualified coaches, make you question the process/profession. Always make sure you do your research first—check out credentials, training, and experience, and ensure you have the right chemistry with your potential coach.
