Have you ever thought, “I have so many issues of my own… if I can’t figure out how to take care of my own messes, how could I possibly become a life coach and help someone else clean up theirs?!”
Imposter syndrome: the nasty little voice in your head that keeps you from taking risks, speaking up, and feeling competent at what you do.
If you’ve experienced it, you know all too well what it’s like to be constantly looking over your shoulder, sure that at any moment someone will get wise to your game and call you out for the fraud you are.
We’re no strangers to imposter syndrome here at iPEC. In fact, I’d venture a guess that each and every one of our instructors, employees, and students has experienced it at some point. And it’s also one of the biggest objections I hear when potential students are considering the iPEC program.
Guess what? No one truly has the carefully curated Instagram life you see posted online. And many of the people you’re comparing yourself to have experienced those same fraudy feelings.
You don’t have to wait to become a life coach until you have your career (and life) path perfectly mapped out.
If you’re motivated to inspire positive change in yourself and others—if you’re looking to GIVE and to GROW—then this field of work is for you, regardless of your age, which stage of your life you’re in, or the experiences you have or haven’t had.
Not having everything “together” is actually an enormous asset in relating to your clients.
With a not-so-perfect life under your belt, you have a greater capacity to understand and relate to others’ struggles. Not to mention, the ability to show up with compassion and empathy for another person is the underlying foundation of what makes a successful coach.
Plus, when you experience the power of coaching for yourself through the iPEC curriculum, you become better able to pass that same magic along to your clients, too.
Your willingness to share your own transformative experience can lead to deeper, richer relationships between you and your clients (or coworkers and managers). Not only will you be able to help them with your training and coaching methodology, but you’ll provide them with living proof that coaching can and does make a difference.
How I Decided to Become a Life Coach
A few years ago, Hurricane Sandy threw my entire life into chaos. I lost my home and my job. I was unemployed (for an entire year!) because of Mother Nature. I was at one of the most tumultuous points ever in my life, a time where investing in a coach training program was a difficult decision to make.
Going into that first training weekend, I didn’t know what to expect.
We were working through an exercise during the very first module when I suddenly had an epiphany… a single moment that shifted my entire life.
“This isn't who I am.” I realized.
And all of the puzzle pieces began to fall into place.
I had been living someone else’s life for so long… I was being the person who I thought I should be rather than the one I truly am.
I realized I was in the wrong job and the wrong relationship. I had let those things happen instead of creating them for myself. Once I came to the realization, I was able to slowly build my courage and confidence and trust with myself to make changes in my life. Over time, my new reality got fleshed out and given texture and color.
I chose to make those changes in my life, and through my whole experience in coach training, my life now feels so much more stable and directed.
This is why so many people have immense gratitude for iPEC and say that attending our coach training program has truly changed their life. Because when you graduate, you’ll not only become a masterful coach, but you’ll stroll through life as a new, brighter version of yourself, and you’ll have the skills to manage life’s chaos like a pro.
Ultimately, that experience is what helped me see that great coaches don’t become great in spite of their messiness and imperfections, but because of them.
Curious About Becoming a Professional Coach?
Check out our in-depth guide to the field of coaching, and find out whether it might be the right career path for you!
