Becoming a life coach can be very rewarding if you enjoy helping people form solutions to their problems. Life coaches aren’t therapists because they do not focus on uncovering past trauma. Instead, they are focused on the future. They are focused on helping people create the life they have always dreamed of. Two major components to be a successful life coach are empathy and objectivity.

Balancing Empathy and Objectivity as a life coach

As a life coach, it is important to be empathetic and objective when talking to your clients. Empathy is defined as the ability to understand and share the feelings someone else is going through. For example, empathy means that you can intimately understand how someone feels. Being empathetic helps you connect with your clients. It also helps you tailor your feedback to them.

Objectivity is also important as a life coach. It is important for you to be able to hear and assess the problem without getting emotional and be able to provide feedback without being influenced by your opinions, views, or interests. While empathy is where you connect with your client, objectivity is where you find the answers to your client’s problems. Your job as a life coach is to be able to go into a situation with an open mind and help brainstorm solutions. If you lack objectivity, then you may miss some potential solutions.

Not everyone is cut out for being a life coach, but people who enjoy listening to other people’s problems and helping them find creative and logical solutions may be cut out for it. If you are interested in becoming a life coach, your first step is to see if the field is right for you. You can take our life coaching quiz to see if you are interested in becoming a life coach. Next, even if you are a natural at listening and connecting to others, you should still hone your skills. A certified life coaching course, such as Coach Training Alliance’s Certified Coach Program can help you further develop all the skills you need to be successful.