What is a Life Coach?

On a regular basis I am asked this question. When I am asked, I always reply with, "What do you think a Life Coach is?"

Some of the answers - or guesses - I hear are down-right laughable. Other answers include the "fact" that a Life Coach is perfect and no longer makes mistakes. And then there are the answers that suggest some type of 'mind trick' is perfomed on people.

To begin, I must state that Life Coaches are neither perfect nor no longer make mistakes. Life Coaches - as you may have assumed - are Human. As for 'mind tricks' being played, well, all I can say is there may be some who attempt to perform some sort of 'mind trick,' but the truth is each of us has at some point had a 'mind trick' already performed on us.

For example, a common statement is "The rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer." That in itself is a mind trick because it is not true. Allow me to simply prove it.

Throughout the ages, I'm sure you would agree that there have been rich and poor people. Where did the rich people come from? I mean, if you were to go by Biblical sense, was Adam the rich one, or was Eve? From what I remember, neither of them used money - or any tool for that matter - in exchange for something.

Now let's look at it from another truth. Many of the rich people actually came from poverty...so if the above statement were true, their becoming rich would not ever happen. Andrew Carnegie would have remained poor his whole life. Abe Lincoln would never have become President of the United States, either.

Therefore - a 'mind trick' has already been played on you ... especially if you ever agreed that 'the rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer.'

A Life Coach is not an easy thing to define, since there are many different types of Life Coaches. There are Spirituality Coaches, Creative Coaches, Marketing Coaches, Dating Coaches, Fitness Coaches ... in fact, there is a Coach out there for every area of your life. Some Coaches have tied different areas together. For instance, a Creative Coach may have good marketing skills to teach you so that you can sell what you have created (a book, a quilt, etc.). Or a Dating Coach may have some Confidence Building tools to teach you.

Some Coaches receive specific Coach Training - others haven't. Some Coaches are certified (although it is not currently necessary) while others haven't been certified, and others are persuing some sort of certification.

If there is an area of your life that you would like to enhance, improve, or change, then getting a Coach may be something for you to look into.

But you don't want just any Coach ... and if you're new to the Coaching Idea, you may not even know where to start!

I have put together a simple yet powerful (and free!) tool for you to use to determine the type of Coach that would best fit your needs and wants. It's called "Tips on Finding An Ideal Coach."

April Diane Glunt - Founder of DesignerLife Productions

Life Coach, Trainer, Author