A few years ago we got a quote from three different carpenters to build a built-in entertainment center in our living room. It wasn’t supposed to be anything fancy, just a place to put the TV, stereo, and all the junk that goes with it.

The first guy came and offered to do the job for $10,000. I nearly had a heart attack. Guy #2 bid on the job for $2,500. Now I was really confused. As much as I thought the first guy was trying to rip us off, I thought maybe the 2nd guy wasn’t qualified because he was so much cheaper. Guy #3 offered to do it for $5,400. In the end we went with our gut instincts and found the solution that fit our needs.

People have the same confusion about the costs of coaching. Coaches themselves are even confused. Part of the challenge is that there are so many types of coaches out there. From general life coaching to very specific niche marketing, the topics run the gamut. Coaches also come from a variety of backgrounds. Many come from the world of psychology, but there are wonderful coaches with backgrounds as teachers, cops, business people, human resources executives, physical therapists, chiropractors, etc…

I’ve seen pricing as low as $50/hr for life coaches just starting out to executive coaches that work on retainer for $40k/year. So, when you’re looking for a coach, what should you pay?

Before answering that, consider this. Let’s say you want help from a coach to create a better marriage between you and your spouse. What’s it worth to you to not get divorced? Or what would it be worth to you to get out of your own way and have better self esteem? Or to lose 10 pounds? Ultimately, no matter the goal, what’s a better life worth?

Then consider the likelihood that the coach you’re considering using can help you get there. Nearly every coach offers an introductory session to see if the two of you are a good fit. Use that time to get a feel for their skill level. Follow your gut.

Ok, but really, what should it cost? Here are some very rough guidelines
Life Coaching – $125 – $175/hr is typical. More for a very experienced coach with a great reputation and background. Less for someone starting out or with less relevant experience. Business Coaching – $250-350/hr when working at the Director/VP level. More when working with C-Level staff, less if working at the manager level.

In all cases, consider your ROI (Return On Investment). Set clear goals. Show up and be willing to make the tough changes.

What’s it worth to you to reach your goals?

MAJOR PROBLEM: All the big deals, all big projects, and the goals, and dreams that will change your life forever will occur with people outside of your circle. Those people have Drunk Monkeys just like you. They have an opinion on everything, just like you. The question becomes “Who is going to be conscious enough to give up their position to make things work?”

Consider this: You’ve already blown hundreds of opportunities to expand your dreams because of your need to be right. Right about your limitations, right about the situation, right about people….Right about how wrong people are. Right about how people should behave and not behave. Right about the process. Right about the procedure. Right about how it’s supposed to look. Right, right, right.

This week be flexible: Flexibility is your greatest asset in money making. You can either be right, or you can be in action…filled with joy…totally satisfied with who you are and where you are going! Take action on your intentions today. Give up being right about you, your limitations, the situation, the timing, and people.

Engage the mystery of life, you have no idea what is going to happen next, just take the next action and enjoy the result, positive or negative…both are just opinions. Trust that you are on the right path, if you are reading this, then by the vary nature of your intention, it is true, you are on the right path…weather you are producing results or not.

Take action in-spite of the uncomfortable feelings you might have. Just make it an experiment, not important, just see if you can take the action without feeling anything.

Click the link below to report any victories, wins, or accomplishments you are proud of.

Professional people and entire corporations, are hiring coaches to help guide them in new direction. life coaches are used to aid a person in improving their personal and professional lives. life coaching is designed to help individuals expand their abilities and improve their lives. During a life coaching session the life coach guides the professional to analyze themselves and work on plans to improve their faults or shortcomings. Are you interested in a life coach by concerned about the cost? The fees for a professional coach can be higher than you may think but usually with a little leg work you can find a professional coach in the price range you can afford.

Pricing for professional coaches will differ from one coach to another. Individual coaches determine their own pricing, there are no laws covering life coaches so the prices that are charged are based upon what the market may bear. You may find some life coaches may offer a package deal or special pricing to deal with a specific item or process. You may also find life coaches who offer reduced pricing on life coaching phone consultations or even life coaching via email. When you decide on a life coach spend some time with your new coach discussing their pricing so that there are no surprises when you receive a bill.

More experienced and established coaches are more likely to charge a much higher fee. You can expect to spend up to two hundred and fifty dollars per hour for an experienced life coach but you will often find that it is well worth the money. It is not advisable to settle for an inexperienced coach simply to save money. Find the best coach for your needs even if the coach does cost a little more money. You may find that an experienced coach is able to guide you through the life coaching process in less sessions than you expected.

Corporations and business executives are starting to hire life coaches for their businesses. Usually life coaches will charge a corporation a higher fee than an individual who is trying to work through their own ideas. If you are interested in working with a life coach but find the fees too high ask if they will offer a discount for an individual.

If you are trying to save money but still want to use a life coach you will want to be very clear about what your goals and make sure that you make progress toward you goals during each of your life coaching sessions. Your life coach should be experienced enough to make sure you stay on your desired path, after all that is what they are paid for.

How do you choose a life coaching program when there are hundreds out there available? There are eight major areas to consider when choosing a program that will produce effective results. Here are the first four.

1. Price. All the programs range in costs, some are as high as a few thousand dollars. Although cost does not determine how good a program is, it does determine whether a person can afford it. The program should be reasonable for what they’re offering. It is also good to know who founded the program and what credentials they have. This can tell you a little bit about whether their program is strictly a money-making business for them or they really do want to produce effective coaches.

2. Techniques. Most of the programs make their money by the price they charge, therefore, they will claim they offer the best techniques out there. It is probably best to inquire about a program’s techniques through word of mouth. If that’s not possible, try doing a web search on the program and see if any comments are found out there on the Web. An effective program will provide valuable information on how to be an effective coach. It will also provide mock sessions.

3. Secular vs. Christian. Are you looking for a secular coaching program or a Christian one? There’s a difference. Secular coaching doesn’t include God in it. It is more based on what people can do through their own strength. Christian coaching relies heavily on the guidance of the Holy Spirit and is Biblically based. They believe each person was born with a God-given purpose. Without God we cannot be all we were meant to be.

4. Length of program. Do you want to attend a program that is six months long (or more) or just a few weeks long? The programs all vary in length. An effective program will not waste your time on repetitive information thus dragging out the program for several months. It will teach you what you need to know in less time so that you can get started as a coach as soon as possible.

In Part Two, you will learn of the next four major areas to consider when choosing a good life coaching program.

Copyright – Mary L. Weinstein. All Rights Reserved.

This is the 21st century – an age in which sprawling lifestyles and super-sized ambitions are carved by all and sundry. Everyone wants to live life king size with a perfect house, a gleaming car and a hefty bank balance. Contrast this with deeper and larger than life values such as happiness, fulfillment and satisfaction, and you get a rough idea about what today’s generation strives to achieve.

Consequently, one is left with very little time to give to oneself and ends up in a confusing spiral of emotions – often lost and out of focus. Life coaching is a vocation where people advise, counsel, mentor and guide stressed and confused individuals with their personal and business lives. In a broader sense, coaches help their clients improve emotional intelligence through smart thinking. Life coaching also helps people become more aware about themselves and the society they live in by assisting them in understanding their emotions. In addition to, this type of mental healing aims to provide essential life skills to troubled people, healing not only their mind, but body and soul.

These days, the integration of emotional intelligence in life coaching has led to excellent results in the profession and improved the scope too. Some of the benefits that participants of life coaching have achieved are:

1. A better understanding of oneself – this has improved self awareness, control and emotional stability.

2. Better creativity and innovation – Participants have shown tremendous potential in areas they thought were beyond their reach through a clear mind.

3. A passion for living – In other words, life coaches have helped their clients achieve a ‘drive’ to achieve more and conquer their fears by overcoming challenges.

Apart from personal benefits, improvement in emotional intelligence goes a long way in perking up one’s professional career. For example, if a man lost his job, or made a bad investment, it would lead to unnecessary worrying and tension. If this went unchecked, it would soon take a toll on the man’s mind and body, resulting in further mental frustration and eventually, destruction. However, mentoring and counseling this man as to how he should overcome such hurdles would help him cope with the issue in a positive manner. Not only would he work harder to rise above the problem, he would actually consider it a trivial issue, thus looking for alternatives to make his life better.

This is just a small example which illustrates how life coaching can help an individual at work. Research, on the other hand, has shown that success in life depends more on emotional intelligence rather than cognitive aptitude.

So how does life coaching achieve such powerful results? Experts feel that the private atmosphere and warm coach-client relationship relaxes the client’s mind and helps the person in uncovering brighter avenues of thinking, clearly and smartly. Considering the fact that life coaches usually counsel their clients an hour every week, over a period of two to six months, offering life and career changing results, this can be a really rewarding endeavor for those who are facing problems in life.