We just completed a LIVE version of our Coach Mindset – Life Coach Certification.

During our session… we would often feature different quotes to inspire new ideas.

One of the stand outs was this quote from St. Frances of Assisi-

“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”

I love this quote…

This is the kind of thinking that helped people like Walt Disney, Roger Bannister and Richard Branson do what they did/do.

And… I think this concept hit home as the new life coaches were thinking about all of the things they wanted to do after they completed their life coach certification.

In many ways… this is exactly what they were doing.

They were starting with their life coach certification, then they were putting their promotional blueprint in place (that’s something we cover in our training)… and then they were getting ready to break through to the impossible.

How about you?

What’s something that seems impossible today?

What’s something that might be necessary to make that happen?

What if you took a step towards that today?

Keep dreaming big and helping others to do the same,

Mitch Matthews

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As you know… we’re doing a series on the various myths that exist around getting your life coach certification.

Today… we’re dealing with Life Coach Certification – Myth 18.

MYTH 18: Practice makes perfect.

Sure.  We’ve all heard this phrase but when it comes to life coaching and getting your life coach certification…

TRUTH: Practice creates habits.

And sometimes those habits can have a negative effect.

POINT ONE:

We all need to practice and most programs suggest finding a practice partner (or multiple partners) so that you can begin the process learning how to coach more effectively.

The key here is practicing utilizing life coaching concepts that you believe in.  In some ways, this is obvious… right?

POINT TWO:

The life coach certification myth that exists around “practicing makes perfect” is more subtle.

But it’s dangerous.

In fact, if you practice this aspect wrong… it can kill your ability to ever grow a thriving coaching practice.

Here’s the scoop…

Most life coach certification programs have you practice with people.  In fact, many programs say that you need to practice with 3, 5, 7 or more life coaching clients before you can charge for your life coaching services.  The hidden problem is… that as you practice without charging clients a fee… you practice giving your coaching away… over and over again.

What does that do?

Well, at a sub-conscious level… that plants a seed that your coaching isn’t worth anything.  Plus, in that process, you never practice verbalizing what your coaching is actually worth.

The result is… many coaches who have practiced with multitudes of clients never feel confident enough to eventually charge for their coaching (because they never practiced that part of the process).

So they wind up going broke… because they practiced the wrong things!

SOLUTION: The “Pay-it-Forward” Contract.

In our program, we give our participants a “Pay-it-Forward” contract to use with their practice partners.

The contract clearly describes their coaching package and assigns a value to their coaching.

Then the contract explains that the coach is going to “give” this coaching package to the recipient as part of their practice… as long as the recipient agrees to “pay-it-forward” to someone else.  In other words, the person has to agree to give a gift of similar value to someone else in the future.

This way, the budding coach isn’t just practicing their coaching… they are practicing assigning a value to their coaching… they are practicing having people sign a contract… they are practicing closing on the “sale” of their coaching… right from the beginning.

So… when they have earned their life coach certification… and it comes time to launch their full coaching practice… they don’t have any trouble charging $1,500, $2,500 or more for their coaching packages.  Because… they’ve been practicing that… all along.

Make sense?

So watch out for Myth 18… because if you practice giving your coaching away… over and over again… it will be almost impossible to charge for your services in the future.  Because… practice made for some bad habits!

And hey… we are all about helping you to not only coach effectively… but also grow a successful and sustainable life coaching practice!  You are going to bless people’s socks off when you coach them, and we believe that you should get compensated handsomely for that!  (If you want to find out more about our programs, click here.)

So practice the right things… because that will make all the difference!

Keep dreaming big and helping others to do the same,

Mitch Matthews

PS – Interested in finding out with the number 1 life coach certification myth is?  Click here to find out!  I think you may be surprised!

 

 

 

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In our Life Coach Certification… we talk about the important of being a part of a mission.  We want you to be a part of something bigger.  Something that inspires hope.  Something that stirs people.

For me personally, one of the “missions” that we started has been something we call the “BIG Dream Gathering.”

Well, as a part of these BIG Dream Gatherings, we often do podcasts with inspiring people.

MANNERS AND GROWING YOUR LIFE COACHING PRACTICE

Recently, I interviewed NBC Daytime’s National Manners Correspondent… Patricia Rossi about her new book, “Everyday Etiquette – How to Navigate 101 Common and Uncommon Social Situations.”

I wanted to interview Patricia… because she’s living her big dream.

But more importantly, I also wanted to talk with her… to get her advice on everything from navigating networking opportunities (even when you’re shy) to remembering people’s names.

I have to say that her insights were so helpful (and inspiring) that I just had to offer them here too because they are so applicable to the life coach who is wanting to build and grow a successful life coaching practice!

You can click here to listen in:

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Hope you enjoy it!

ANOTHER LOOK AT YOUR IDEAL COACHING CLIENT

Now, one of the other reasons I wanted to offer this interview here… is I wanted to inspire you with Patricia’s story.

Think about it. Like you… she’s a coach… but she has selected a specific niche and become a recognized leader in this area.

Now if you visit this blog often, you know that we talk about how important it is to think about your AVATAR and come up with an ideal client profile. We talk about how important this is in order to grow your practice! (Click here to read another post on this subject.)

But as you go through this process of figuring out who your ideal client is… and how you can reach them… it always feels like a bit of risk. Why? Well, when you decide on your ideal client, you also are deciding on who isn’t your ideal client. And as a result… you start to decide who you aren’t going to market your life coaching practice to. So yeah… walking away from potential business… always feels like a bit of risk.

BUT… getting clear on a specific group of people or a specific area… can also be wildly freeing! Because you can go after it with gusto! And that’s EXACTLY what Patricia has done.

She’s gone after the concept of manners and etiquette in a BIG way! In fact, her nationally syndicated “Manners Minute” airs weekly on a number of NBC, CBS, Fox and ABC stations. AND she’s Twitter‘s number 1 etiquette professional!

So… again… if you’re a new life coach going after your life coach certification and you’re beginning to get clear on who you want to coach… or what you want to focus on. Or you’re an experienced life coach who’s wanting to be more bold with your focus on an ideal client type or specific area… then let Patricia inspire you to continue on that journey!

So… give your own “Ideal Client” some additional thought… and be inspired by Patricia as you do!

By the way, join in the conversation. Leave a comment to answer either of the following questions:

• What’s one of your favorite etiquette tips that help you to grow your life coaching practice?
• Who would you love to coach… and/or what would you love to specialize as a coach?

Keep dreaming big and helping others to do the same,

Mitch Matthews

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