How can life coaches set and achieve their professional goals?

Yes - As a life coach to set your goals is extremely important. You definitely need to understand your strengths and areas of opportunity and growth. But you need to leave your ego at the door, you need to understand you are here to help other people to succeed. And in doing so you grow as a coach. I posted awhile back - that a had a potential client that wanted my advice on career coaching. I told the person my niche is not in career coaching- and past the person, the client to some one who has the right expertise to help the person succeed. There is nothing wrong in being real with yourself as a coach ,being happy to say I don't have all the answers.

So what are your professional goals in the context of coaching? It can be one or more of the following: 1. Number of people coached 2. Revenue generation from coaching 3. Skill development in terms of coaching You need not have all of them or can also have some other ones. Having some targets and goals gives you a chance to aim for them and work towards them

Embarking on a life coaching path requires a blend of self-reflection and actionable steps. Getting the right education and certifications sharpens skills and boosts market credibility. Networking is crucial, opening doors to new opportunities and learning. Setting clear, measurable goals acts as a roadmap, while continuous learning keeps me updated in this ever-evolving field. Practicing tirelessly, seeking seasoned supervision, and valuing client feedback propels growth. Having a strong online presence showcases my brand, attracting clients. Regular evaluation of my progress, making necessary adjustments, and ensuring self-care are the keys to a fulfilling and successful professional journey in life coaching.

I have coached 500+ professionals & after setting, achieving and revisiting my own goals, I have witnessed a mindful growth in my journey & have been able to contribute better in designing the journey of others. 1. At the end of each day, I assess the value I added, how could I have done it differently & seek feedback to measure changes constructively. 2. At the end of each month I analyze what I am good at, what I need to improve, how can I add more value & earn more. 3. I take up courses to improve my skills, network to learn from other coaches, read & research extensively to assess my framework. Growth is in change & refinement for which we need to coach ourselves first with utmost devotion. We should be our most revered subject.

I do respectively agree with these points. But I would also like to recommend that feedback / reference from the people around us who we either work with, live with and/or interact with are also critial to see our reputations and the sense of our contributions. Example my formal and current line managers have been proud of me because of my ability to create networkings, build and maintain strong relations with different people and institutions. And very recently, HR & Operations Lead of where I work pointed me as the key and good example of taking initiatives in safety and security risks responses with some valid examples, I was really not aware of this feedback before as I thought my contributions was very little.

I recently listened to 10X Rule by Grant Cardone. He took goal setting to a new level and made me reflect on SMART. S - specific YES be as specific as you can with your goals. The more detail the better. M - measurable YES what you don’t measure, you don’t succeed. You have to know what activities are leading to what results. A - attainable YES It is as easy to make 10k as it is 100k. You just have to take the right action and get in front of the right people. You need to 10X your goals and actions at all times. Tap into your absolute highest potential and just make it happen. R - relevant YES why are you doing this now? What’s the urgency and impact of this goal? T - timely YES. Now. Is. Your. Time.

To help you create an action plan, reach out to your own coach as well. It’s not because you’re a coach that you don’t need yourself to be coached to unlock even more growth potential.

A goal without an action plan is just a feel good thing. Once you have set goals, however modest or ambitious, start writing down the steps you need to take and you will take to move towards those goals. Then put a timeline on them along with resources required, help needed, people who can help you etc. And a plan emerges ...

Practice what you preach and get your own coach…. We all know the benefits it brings of perspective, empowerment and accountability.

Walk our talk. It's easy to help others whilst keeping yourself in the same position, so use your best tools for yourself too. I often reflect after a powerful coaching conversation with a client and answer the questions I posed to them about my own goals. It keeps me on top of my goals and fuels even better conversations with them.

Every weekend, look at progress made on the actions scheduled for that week. Also, pull out actions for the coming week and schedule them on your calendar.

This goes back to SMART goals. The M for measurement. Understand your activities and assign metrics to your work. These should be KPIs that are unique to you. You can’t have success without knowing your results. Measuring your activities is critical to success.

Keeping a personal journal is a powerful practice that goes beyond just documenting your experiences. It's like having a conversation with yourself, and it can be an insightful and creative process. A journal is a companion on your life's journey, a confidant for your innermost thoughts, and a treasure trove of your personal narrative. It's a tool for self-expression, growth, and understanding, making it an invaluable asset on the road to self-improvement and success.

It is so important to celebrate the wins, no matter how small. Life is hard but the wins make it all worthwhile. They keep your battery charged. Create a folder or have a box that you keep complimentary cards and letters, feedback emails, testimonials… anything that reminds you of your awesomeness. These make the low days shorter. Be sure to take them out when the imposter in you steps out. Make friends with your inner critic. Self doubt is natural. Lean in to it. It’s all out of love ?? for you. Believe in yourself and embody positivity and prosperity.

Celebrate completion of every task on the plan, however small. I celebrate with a spoon of ice cream or a piece of chocolate. A big milestone like a client signup warrants an ice cream party with family. Payment received can result in a dinner party with family :) celebrations make the whole process much more enjoyable

In my experience, I realized that keeping a living document of your life goals assists a lot. It keeps you in check, you can assess where you are continuously, where you are going, how you are going and at what speed and update when you discover new things about yourself. The living document acts as a reference point for your lifelong learning and application.

In my professional and personal experience setting goals and having strategies is much more effective when you FIRST clear all the subconscious barriers and beliefs you have in you! Otherwise you’ll work really hard but may fail to achieve what you had set your sights on.

Me and my subconscious barriers have befriended. We've negotiated a deal. I will set one goal at a time. One strategy at a time until my brain neuroplasticity has internalized that winning is safe, you can do it.

Know your own unique qualities, experience, expertise. Interview previous clients or potential ones what they find most valuable about you and your services, but also about the presence you bring to the table. It is not all about logical strategy here - as we help our clients to connect to their heart and inner knowing, we need to do the same. From that space of attunement, tune into your target audience: who are the people you most want to serve? How does their day look like? What are their urgent and immediate needs? What’s the worst part of where they are now to where they could be after x months of coaching with you? For women coaches, I can recommend dr. Claire Zammit’s professional coaching trainings - her business bootcamps slay!

While the article presents everything you should do. Here’s what you shouldn’t. 1) Don’t bombard yourself with Goals and To-do list! 2) Don’t put all your tasks for yourself. Delegate. If you are a founder, know that you can’t do everything. 3) Don’t list too many goals for a period of time. Keep your primary focus on 1 goal. 4) You don’t need paragraphs on task done but Data. Track your tasks with your goals. 5) Don’t deal with everything alone, hire a life coach and make your life 10 times easier. With me you can almost make it 80% easier! ??