“Why do I need a life coach and where can I get one in Ontario?”
If you ask that question, you feel like you could benefit from having a coach.
But you’re not sure exactly what life coaching is about.
It’s about staying motivated and feeling in control of your life.
It’s about setting realistic goals and accomplishing them.
Here’s how life coaching can take you to the next level.
What do people want from coaching?
These are common requests that clients come to life coaches with:
Motivation and discipline
- I need someone to push me as coaches push athletes in sports.
- I need someone who challenges me to meet them at 5 am.
- I need a coach to give pep talks to motivate me.
- A coach will give me a hard time when I don’t stick to my goals.
Self-growth
- I need a coach to put me on a self-improvement regimen.
- And teach me to have a regular, productive routine for each day.
- I need someone to help me set goals and hold me accountable for them.
Awareness
- A coach will identify my strengths and help me leverage them.
- And also identify my weaknesses and work with me to fix them.
- I need someone to help me think critically about what needs to be done.
- I need another person to run my ideas by so that I avoid costly mistakes.
What’s a good metaphor for a life coach?
Here’s how you can think of life coaching:
Drill sergeant
Life coaching is a lot like basic military training.
The military teaches you organization skills and self-discipline.
With life coaching, you reap these benefits without dedicating years to the military.
Sports coach
Life coaching is a lot like having a coach in sports.
Both teams and standalone athletes all have coaches.
It’s not because they don’t have the discipline or aren’t smart enough to train on their own.
Those athletes are the toughest and smartest people in the world—they are already almost at the top.
But they need coaching to go to the next level.
Coaches maintain vision, lay out a regimen, apply external discipline, and motivate them.
Personal trainer
A life coach is very similar to a personal trainer in a gym.
They help you set goals and make sure you accomplish them.
They also give advice and motivation along the way.
A life coach is a personal trainer focused on business and social success rather than physical goals.
Why hire a generalist life coach vs. someone who specializes in a particular area?
A life coach is a lifestyle expert.
They help you live a well-rounded life in general.
They don’t need to be an expert in any particular area (they can, though).
If you want that, hire a life coach.
If you think your issue is in a particular area, then you might be better off working with a specialized coach.
For example, if you want to improve your love life, hire a relationship coach in Toronto.
How’s a coach different from a consultant?
A consultant would often just give you information on a speficiс topic.
It’s you who asks questions during a session.
And it would normally take just one consultation.
Life coaching is about meeting regularly to help you create a well-rounded life.
And it’s usually the coach who asks questions to create awareness in you.
For example, I like to ask, “What do you need to do differently to accomplish this goal?“.
This question is great because after we hit a wall with our goal, we often stop trying other ways.
But we are often afraid to ask that question ourselves, e.g., due to sunk costs.
Here’s when a coach comes in to challenge us positively.
How’s a coach different from a counselor?
Life coaching is similar to counseling in many ways.
But instead of dealing with the past, coaches focus on solutions to move forward:
And that’s often a better way for a person.
This is what Tony Robbins said:
Focusing on a solution is much more effective than analyzing a situation because that doesn’t change the sensation.
It only strengthens the neuro-associations.
That said, counseling is about making you feel stable and happy by resolving old issues.
But coaching is about getting a person on your team who’ll drive you to succeed.
They help you create a regimen that makes your daily life productive.
This includes things like meditating every day, working out regularly, and accomplishing goals.
What kind of schedule do you have with a life coach in Ontario?
Initially, people meet with coaches once a week for about 6 or 8 sessions.
During this time, they lay out a general regimen, set goals, and resolve any issues.
From there, you can choose to see your coach every other week or once a month.
This will be an accountability meeting to discuss your progress.
What do you do during coaching sessions?
Here’s an example:
Jim hired a life coach in Ontario to help him eliminate insecurities and confidence.
Jim became very shy at the beginning of high school.
They met online using Skype.
The coach taught Jim to speak to women at ease.
He pretended to be a girl and Jim talked to “her.”
The coach gave me tips on posture and behaving like a gentleman.
As a result, Jim became much more confident around girls.
Were you happy with the results of coaching?
Yes, most coaching clients are happy.
The International Coaching Federation says 99% of coaching clients love the experience.
This is what the survey respondents report:
- Increased productivity at work.
- More confidence about the unclear future.
- Great ROI.
Should a life coach in Ontario have formal training?
Coaching is a self-regulated industry, without any legal requirements for training or certification.
But if your coach received training it means they’re serious.
It gives you the peace of mind knowing that he or she is a qualified professional.
For example, I received my training as a life coach at Robbins-Madanes.
Has anyone had bad experiences with life coaches?
Unfortunately, this is not uncommon.
For example, a woman in the UK who had a takeout delivery job also worked as a life coach on the side.
She only regurgitated law of attraction success stories that she had found on Google to her clients.
She had no qualifications at all but even though she was deceiving her clients, it wasn’t illegal.
That said, you need to be careful when looking for a life coach.
Otherwise, it’s easy to waste money on coaching.
What red flags should I pay attention to?
Beware of sharp-dressed sleazy folks selling you dreams of success.
It’s easy to buy into their promises of success and happiness.
And then end up paying thousands of dollars for nothing but a dream.
How do I know a life coach is the right fit for me?
Do your research on their training and affiliations.
Make sure to take advantage of the first coaching session which should be free.
Use it as an opportunity to size up this coach:
- Are they a good role model? They must be already living a lifestyle that you want.
- Will they be a good drill sergeant to apply external discipline?
- Can they challenge your beliefs instead of just giving you “feel-good” talk?
Also check to see whether a life coach has a money-back guarantee (I do!).
It will give you peace of mind knowing you can’t lose money.
Where do I find a life coach in Ontario?
The best way to get someone you know to give you a recommendation.
Talk to your family and friends to see if they know a coach.
Ask your therapist or counselor to give you a recommendation.
You can also use these 3 tools to find a life coach in Canada.
What’s an alternative to getting a life coach?
Find someone who you respect and ask them to be your mentor.
They won’t be as effective as a coach because they won’t have coaching skills.
But if they’re already good at what you want to create in your life, they’ll teach it to you.
You can also run your ideas by your mentor as a sanity check.
Get a life coach in Ontario today
If you want to take your life to the next level, check out my coaching services.
With just a little bit of coaching, your life will start feeling like a beautiful journey.
Knowing that you’re moving toward realizing your full potential feels awesome.
Live a life that others will envy (and then help them do it as well!).
Contact me now for a free session.
