Mentors and life coaches have some things in common, but there are big difference that are important to know if you are thinking about a life coach mentor.
The first thing to understand that life coaching is focused on your present and future. A life coach will not dig into your past and looking at problems and trauma that brought you to where you are today. This does not mean she will ignore your problems. It just means she will think about finding solutions to your issues today and going forward.
This is why many counselors and psychologists enjoy being life coaches. Once they have talked through a person’s trauma and issues, life coaching is a good way to help the person move forward in a positive way.
On the other hand, a mentor uses their own experience in a certain area to guide a person who is on a similar path. For example, if you want to learn how to get a faster promotion in sales, you may want to be mentored by a senior sales professional who has already done what you want to achieve.
Mentors provide advice and show other people how to take the next step in the direction they want to go, usually in their career but not always. Mentors share experience and expertise in a specific area. The mentor says, I have done this to get to the successful stage I am at today. But a coach says, what can you do to reach that successful stage you want?
When we coach a person, we help them help themselves to get to that next stage in life. As a coach, she will not tell you how to do it, so the pressure is off the coach and on you.
A coach generally does not tell you how to achieve what you want because it makes them responsible for that person. This is why professions that give advice often have liability insurance. Life coaches are less likely to run into these problems because they are not trained to give advice. Rather, they help people discover their own solutions, devise ways to act and take accountability for progress.
Now that you understand the difference between a life coach and a mentor, perhaps you can make a decision on which you need to move forward in your life. The choice is yours!
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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Mentor vs. Life Coach: Writing about the differences is very important.