Perhaps you’re curious but are unsure of the benefits of life coaching? Or, you might be checking up on the industry as you research the possibility of becoming a life coach.
Whatever motivates you, we’ve got something for you in this guide. Below you will find a list of 33 features and benefits of life coaching to answer your questions. Browse the various points below and notice how impressed you become!
You may be wondering, what are the benefits of life coaching?
First, let’s understand what life coaching is…
What is a life coach?
A life coach is a person that works in partnership with an individual to help them reach their potential across all facets of life.
Just as a professional sports player has a coach to work on the technical and psychological aspects of their performance, everyday people should take a structured and disciplined approach to personal development and betterment.
An accredited life coach plays this role.
What does a life coach do?
A life coach works with coaching client to help them make improvements in their lives and move out of their stuck states. A life coach assumes that the client has the knowledge within themselves to make the improvements and the coach works more as a facilitator than as a counselor.
What are the benefits of life coaching?
There are a variety of reasons may seek out life coaching services. Below are 33 examples that show why life coaching has become so popular and is now a mainstream industry.
#1. Improved self-confidence
A study by the International Coaching Federation (IFC) discovered that 80% of people who hired a life coach reported an improvement in self-confidence.
#2. A different perspective
We are often consumed by our own opinions, life experiences, and way of thinking. A life coach can provide a new and often helpful perspective on things.
#3. Heightened self-awareness
Being fully aware of your impact on others and recognizing your flaws, strengths, and unique personality attributes is an extremely challenging adventure. This is the art of self-awareness.
Self-awareness requires a strong capacity for introspection and reflection, something which a life coach can help you work towards. In fact, one study found that 67.6% of coaching clients experience a higher level of self-awareness.
#4. Create a balanced life
The concept of life balance is different for everyone, but it often refers to a happy, peaceful, and harmonious relationship between your physical and cognitive being, as well as the major areas of life.
One of the benefits of a life coach is to identify what balance looks like for you and define action steps to achieve more balance in your life.
#5. Foster better relationships
Relationships are the glue that combines individuals with society and provides shared fulfillment in life. From marriages to friendships and beyond, strong relationships are a critical contributor to happiness.
According to the same ICF study mentioned previously, 73% of people who hired a life coach improved their relationships.
#6. Achieve goals
We all have dreams in life, but very few people crystalize these aspirations into tangible goals to systematically accomplish. A major benefit of life coaching is being able to define your life goals and create a concrete, doable plan to achieve them.
#7. Find happiness
True happiness is somewhat of a mystical experience and for most people, it’s hard to imagine a life that is forever happy. At the end of the day, happiness is intrinsic, it’s a feeling that is unique to the way you feel inside.
By defining life goals, creating balance, and committing to a better version of yourself with the aid of a life coach, you open up the prospect of finding happiness. Helping others find happiness is one of the main reasons people become a life coach.
#8. Discover clarity of purpose
Are you clear on what your purpose in life is? Again, this is a very individual and internal fire that burns within. It’s your passion, dreams, skills, and weaknesses all bundled into one.
It’s your direction in life. Clarity of purpose is vital if you want to pursue your dreams, a life coach can assist you in creating this focus.
#9. Do what you love
Finding that one thing you love more than anything else and doing it every day is a large contributor to happiness and satisfaction. Having clarity of purpose unlocks insights into what this may be. This is another one of the many benefits of a life coach in your corner.
#10. Follow through on commitments
Hiring a life coach is about more than just getting advice and guidance, it also creates accountability. You will have an ally that holds you to your word and ensures those goals get pursued and projects are completed.
#11. Discover your best self
Many of us spend too much time comparing ourselves to others and focussing on what we perceive to be our flaws. Discovering your best self is one of the priceless benefits of life coaching.
#12. Determine your strengths and weaknesses
A life coach will take an impartial view of your strengths and weaknesses, helping you understand your areas of greatest opportunity.
#13. Be open-minded
To be open-minded you need to appreciate that there are different ways of doing things and varying perspectives on life other than your own. A life coach can provide the perspective and thinking process required to adopt this mindset.
#14. Unlock potential
Many of us have latent potential that is hidden by prejudice or closed-mindedness. Life coaches unlock this potential by opening you up to alternate ways of thinking and creating clarity for your direction in life.
#15. Improve communication
72% of people who hire a life coach improve their communication skills, according to the IFC study mentioned above. This is no surprise given the best life coaches are accredited NLP practitioners – the most advanced set of communication skills ever developed. Better communication is one of the primary benefits of NLP life coaching. (Find out more about what NLP is.)
#16. Manage time and productivity
Everyone has the same amount of time in the day, but some people use those 24 hours more efficiently than others. Working with a life coach can help you better manage your time, set priorities, and get more done.
#17. Eliminate negative thoughts
As well as looking at the positive aspects of life, such as your purpose, goals, and potential, life coaches are armed with a series of techniques that can help you eliminate or reduce negative thoughts that hold you back.
#18. Overcome your fears
By minimizing negative thoughts and embracing your strengths you can start to overcome fears that have been restricting your ability to achieve your dreams.
#19. Unearth creativity
You can work with a life coach to brainstorm ideas and unearth creativity that is sitting dormant in the depths of your subconscious.
#20. Provide a different outlook on life
Being open-minded, self-aware, and considering a new perspective on life will give you a more positive and well-rounded outlook.
#21. Produce higher income
The skills you develop while working with a life coach will focus your resources while pursuing career goals or growing your business to new heights. This is one of the key benefits of coaching in a business environment.
#22. Eliminate bad habits
When bad habits are embedded in our day-to-day life, they diminish our ability to perform. Working with an impartial third-party will help you determine what these habits may be and learn to eliminate them.
#23. Be aware of your values
Our values are those deeply held principles that influence our behavior and motivate us to do things both large and small. Given the sheer influence of life values on every action, being aware of what they are can revolutionize the way we live and perform.
#24. Alignment of strengths with decisions
A strengths-based approach to personal development focuses on the positive inner resources of an individual make changes. This is in contrast to traditional methods that focus on identifying weaknesses and trying to improve those areas.
#25. Stay motivated: One of the most sought after benefits of life coaching
Setbacks and roadblocks can derail the best of us. One of the most sought after benefits of life coaching is to sustain the discipline and maximum effort during challenging times. You’ll likely discover pockets of inspiration and hunger that you never knew existed.
#26. Better decision making
Despite thinking that we act rationally, most people make decisions based on emotion or entirely subconscious processes. With a deeper understanding of how the mind works, you can reframe the process of decision-making so that it becomes simpler and wiser.
For example, an NLP-trained life coach will be well-versed in the NLP Decision Making Strategy, a theory that incorporates visual, auditory, and kinesthetic (touch) senses and how they influence our decisions.
#27. Show empathy
To be empathetic you need to see and feel the world through the lens of someone else, put yourself in their shoes, and be understanding of their situation. Unfortunately, not everyone has the same capacity to show empathy towards others.
A life coach can help you look beyond your personal needs and provide in-the-moment techniques for showing empathy.
#28. Learn to accept criticism
If you’ve ever been to a job interview it’s likely that you have been asked how well you take feedback from others. While most people would like to think that they are open and willing to accept feedback or criticism, in the heat of the moment their emotions take over.
An emotional reaction can result in a less than perfect impact on the person providing the feedback, who may just be trying to help you. Learning to accept criticism is a powerful life skill to develop and one of the benefits of life coaching.
#29. Show more appreciation
Showing appreciation and gratitude is a core component of fostering relationships. It makes people feel good about the impact they have on your life – be that in a corporate environment or socially.
A life coach understands the importance of appreciation and has the tools to help you use it more effectively in your day-to-day life.
#30. Build rapport
Rapport is a connection between individuals or a group that enables those people to interact and communicate effectively. For most of us, rapport is seen as an uncontrollable force that we either have with someone or we don’t.
However, creating rapport with others can actually be an intentional and structured process that a life coach can assist you with.
#31. Improve physical well-being
Life coaches can offer more than just emotional and psychological support. They can also work with you to create and execute a plan for improving your physical well-being or losing weight. A healthy body often results in a healthy mind too.
#32. Reduce stress
Stress is a common occurrence for a large portion of the population. Financial burdens, career-related issues, or personal relationship problems can result in mental instability and stress-related health concerns. Life coaches have access to relaxation techniques, such as NLP, which can reduce the mental habits causing stress in your life.
#33. Decreased depression and anxiety
Depression and anxiety are a society-wide health problem with a number of complex elements, none of which are an easy fix. However, having an ally in your corner who understands your triggers can result in an improved way of dealing with the symptoms of these mental health issues.
Benefits of Life Coaching – Conclusion
To be happy is a different proposition for everyone. But one thing is for sure, if you are clear on your purpose, eliminate negativity from your life, and have the tools and techniques to build meaningful relationships, happiness and fulfillment are achievable.
In fact, they are more than achievable – all you need is a framework for determining your direction in life and an ally to help you get there. This is your life coach.
Are you interested in becoming a certified life coach and helping people (and yourself) achieve all of these benefits and more? Check out our Life Coach Certification courses.
