How to Become a Life Coach When You're Scared

Feeling hesitant in showcasing your services is pretty normal, especially for new life coaches. Getting your message out there is easier said than done, and even the mere act of getting outside your comfort zone and knowing how to become a life coach can be intimidating.

But this shouldn’t be a hindrance to achieving your goals of building a coaching business. After all, there are a lot of ways to get past fear. It all starts with small steps and once you’ve mastered them, building your business and putting your message out there won’t be so intimidating anymore.

Understand that fear is a friend

Fear is commonly labeled as the protagonist in life when really, it all depends on how you look at it. We encourage our clients to look at fear as a friend. It is there to keep you safe from what it perceives as harmful situations; but not all situations are harmful. And you get to make that call. When it comes to learning how to become a life coach, feeling scared is totally fine. It’s a new venture for you, of course it’s going to be scary. This is a great example of what coaches can do -- work with you in getting past the fear, and understanding that it is less protagonist and more of a friend that reminds you to check in with yourself from time to time.

Take small risks

Another way to get past feeling scared is to start taking small risks. Baby steps, folks. It’s all about baby steps. The more you take small risks, the more you become accustomed to the sensation and experiential feeling of taking risks. And the less it will be scary. The idea of starting something new can be very daunting for some thus, taking small risks before you actually venture into life coaching is a great way to overcoming the fear of it. Keep in mind, there’s nothing wrong with starting small and testing the waters first. This will help you build resilience!

Make more mistakes

Yes, we strongly encourage our clients to make more mistakes. We’re not talking intentional mistakes here but rather, be open to doing things you’re clueless about. Abandon the "perfect" plan and find your way towards something that is less easily plotted. By doing things you’re interested in but know nothing about, you become more prone to making mistakes. This sounds ridiculous for some, but if you want to know how to become a life coach, the only road is to actually give it a shot. The only road is to test things out, take risks, make mistakes, and do it again and again until you feel less fear.

Ask for feedback

Asking for feedback can be very scary. It takes vulnerability to actually ask people what they think about your services or your progress in a coaching program. But when it comes to building a coaching business, asking for feedback is necessary. Not only for the business but also for you as a coach. Keep in mind that to know how to become a life coach, you should also know how to be vulnerable. It’s not just about developing coaching skills that will benefit your clients. It’s also about developing skills that will make you a better coach. Skills that will work not only in the coaching business but in other career journeys you may want to take in the future. And asking for feedback, being vulnerable - this is one of those skills.

Keep practicing your coaching craft

Practicing your coaching technique is necessary, no doubt about that. But this is also an effective method to get past through fear. By repeatedly doing your coaching practice, offering it your friends - as a start - you’re allowing yourself to be accustomed to the act of coaching. It will become less scary over time. Plus, you get to keep developing it.

Know that we’re all afraid

Understanding that fear is not unique to you can be very impactful. Know that it is so common in all of us. The thing about coaches is that they’re often perceived as people who have figured it all out. Fact is, all coaches have their own fears. No matter how successful a coach is, some things still scare her. Some things still mess with her confidence. This is totally normal. It’s called being human. Thus, it’s good to be reminded from time to time that we are all afraid. We all have some kind of fear - it may be fear of losing clients, fear of learning how to be a life coach, or perhaps being scared of succeeding in this business… it may be different but the bottom line is, all coaches are scared. It’s just a matter of knowing how to deal with it.

Talk about it with fellow coaches

Talking about what scares you is yet another powerful act. Overcoming fear does not happen overnight. And one of the best ways to be less scared of learning how to become a life coach is to actually talk to life coaches. Surround yourself with a solid tribe, people who understand where you’re coming from, and just be honest. Share what scares you, no matter how vague it is. The more you talk about it, the less it becomes scary.

Turn your fear into strength

We are all about the strengths-based approach here at Lumia! Cheesy as it may sound, turning your fear into strength is a revolutionary act. It is a way of claiming your fear and everything that scares you and using your skills to turn it into strength. Into something that will benefit you and your goal of building a coaching business. This takes time and a lot of practice. This takes a lot of courage and bravery. But by doing it slowly and by being as consistent as you can, turning your fear into strength is possible. And once you get to that point, you will realize that fear is a feeling, a tool to pull yourself forward, and a way to build resiliency.

Want To Be A Coach?

A lot of talented people like you dream of having a coaching business, but aren’t quite sure how to get there. We train and certify adventurous coaches, making sure you’ve got all you need to build a business you love and transform lives, on your terms. If you're ready to learn more, come check out Lumia Life Coach Training! 

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