Finding a life coach can be a simple step that changes many of your outcomes in life. Before venturing out to find one, however, you may be asking "What is a Life Coach" and "What Makes a Good One?"

WHAT IS A LIFE COACH?

A competent coach offers a variety of skills and resources from which to draw. As you experience different stages in your life, you may use a coach for different functions and needs. You may also use a coach for a completely different reason than someone else would use one.

Following our premise that a coach can mean different things to different people, here are a few reasons why people differ on their reasons for finding a life coach.

YOU NEED HELP WITH MOTIVATION: If you are looking for a coach to be a cheerleader, who is there for you to prod you through life's difficulties, give you accountability and keep you motivated, then that's your answer to what a coach means to you - a cheerleader and motivator.

YOU NEED HELP WITH DIRECTION: If you're already very motivated, but lack direction for that motivation, then finding a life coach can mean harnessing a coach's objective and intuitive view of you to draw out answers that were missing when you were floundering around alone.

YOU WANT TO HARNESS THE SYNERGY OF TWO MINDS: If you're already motivated and have direction, but need an occasional "strategy" session with a person who can invoke synergistic results in brain storming, that's your answer to what a coach means to you.

One of the best things that this type of coach offers is the ability for you to have an objective view of yourself, which sets your mind on a new path and brings in new ideas.

Using a coach to set out a personal development plan for your life is also one of the key components available through life coaching. Once you have a personal development plan, you have the "big" picture of where you want to go in life, and can then use a coach for motivation, decisions and action steps.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD COACH?

1. DOES THE COACH HAVE THE ABILITY TO HEAR AND UNDERSTAND YOU AS A CLIENT? Having the ability to intuitively hear and understand you as a client is imperative to being a good life coach. While that may sound like common sense, the ability to tune into another person and hear exactly what he/she is saying is a skill that comes either as a gift or from developing it as a talent. When finding a life coach, take the time to become very still and quiet and ask yourself, "Do I feel like this person is listening directly to me, or is he/she listening to some agenda going on in his/her own head?" You can do this even before contacting the coach simply by taking a second to ask yourself this simple question.

2. DOES THE LIFE COACH OFFER TOOLS FOR PLANNING AND MAKING DECISIONS? My favorite tool for planning for results is to develop a personal development plan. Using this simple tool gives you a "road map" to focus upon, which, in turn, keeps you organized, motivated and going.

3. DOES THE COACH OFFER ANY TOOLS FOR TAKING ACTION? When finding a life coach, it's important to be able to plan action steps after making decisions. What practical and/or tangible steps can the coach teach you to actually put your plans into action. My favorite choices include hypnosis, affirmations and subliminal work to instill the new thought patterns deeply into your subconscious so you can make change effortlessly.

4. HOW TIME EFFICIENT IS USING THE LIFE COACH? Finding a life coach online today makes using a life coach easier because you have the whole world of candidates from which to choose, as well as saving time and money traveling to and from appointments.

Taking action by finding a life coach that can help you move past your current circumstances can be the first step to helping you overcome today's difficulties. Knowing that a life coach has a variety of skills to offer you, gives you many possibilities to develop yourself through different phases of your life.

Lastly, listening to yourself and asking "What, exactly, do I want from this person?" gives you the power to define what a life coach personally means to you.

Finding a life coach can be a fun and easy process when you listen to your inner wisdom and ask yourself a few quick questions about being heard, understood and supported in practical matters such as taking action to make your dreams a reality.