Are you living your best life? Do you want to reach a new level of success, but don’t know how? Maybe you’re ready to make some big changes in pursuit of your dreams, but feel stuck in the familiar? Working with a professional life coach will help.

The best life coach for you won’t be the best life coach for someone else. Which is why it is important to find someone that truly understands your unique circumstances. With the right life coach in your corner, you’ll be able to turn your dreams into reality.

What characteristics are important to look out for in your search for the best life coach for you?

The best life coach will demonstrate these 5 qualities:

1) They’re Passionate About Serving Their Clients

This may seem obvious, but we see a lot of life “coaches” out there that seem more passionate about stroking their own ego than actually serving their clients.

Before you hire someone, pay attention to how they’re showing up on social media and seek out testimonials from people that they’ve helped.

2) They Encourage a Growth Mindset

A Growth Mindset is the understanding that intelligence, skills, traits, and abilities can all be developed. In contrast, a fixed mindset is believing that things just are the way they are and cannot change.

The best life coaches cultivate a growth mindset in themselves and their clients. They know you’re capable of extraordinary things and will challenge any fixed mindset beliefs that come up in your sessions.

By pushing you out of your comfort zone, they will help you maximize your potential and guide you toward your Best Life.

3) They Have Deep Listening Skills

The best life coaches are skilled communicators. You may think this means they are great talkers, however 90% of communication is actually listening. 

While most people we talk to are busy thinking about what they are going to say when it is their turn, life coaching is about you not your coach. Therefore, in order for your coach to truly understand you they have to be excellent deep listeners.

When they’re talking to you they should be fully engaged, interested, and curious in what you’re saying. They’ll make eye-contact, keep all their attention on you, and follow up with insightful questions that show they were listening carefully. 

4) They Ask Powerful Questions

YOU are the only expert when it comes to YOU.

Coaches are not there to give you advice or provide you with answers. The best life coaches ask meaningful questions to help you explore your challenges and find the solutions that are most likely already within you.

A fully present and engaged coach will ask powerful questions that get you to think about whatever is on your mind in new ways; this is really where the magic of coaching lies.

5) They’re Authentic & Value Honesty

Without authenticity, trust can’t be built. Without trust, there’s no space for your own vulnerability and you need to be able to open up with your coach.

Your coach also needs to be able to honestly and gently call you out when you’re getting in the way of your own progress.

The best life coaches are authentic and genuine. They allow themselves to be seen and don’t try to portray someone they’re not. If they have a perfectly curated Social Media feed, with little vulnerability, you may want to keep looking.

Meeting with potential life coaches

At the Best Life Coach Collective all of our certified coaches offer a free discovery call. Whether you choose one of our coaches, or find someone else that is a better fit for you, these calls are the time to learn everything you can about your potential life coach to determine if you want to work with them.

Deciding if they’re the right coach for you

After you have a discovery call with a potential life coach take time to reflect before making any purchase decisions. How did talking to them make you feel? Was there a connection? Did you feel listened to, seen, and understood? Did they answer your questions honestly?

A great life coach will clearly answer your questions and give you a snapshot of the kind of progress you can expect over the time you spend working with them.

If you feel at all uneasy, keep looking. Trust your gut, you’ll know when you connect with the right person.

Final Thoughts

Working with a professional life coach can expedite you progress towards your goals and reaching your full potential, whatever that looks like for you.

Since no two people are alike, the best life coach for you likely won’t be the right fit for someone else.

Taking the time to find the right coach for you is essential if you want to get the most out of your experience.

We wish you the best of luck on your search!

~ The BLCC Team