The online-learning industry is one of today’s most glamorous — and booming — fields. Perform a quick Google search, and you’ll find hundreds (if not thousands) of coaches who specialize in everything from health and business to love and mindset.
The internet enables us to share a variety of valuable knowledge, and information is the new currency. It’s no surprise, then, that so many people want to share their insights and experiences. Unfortunately, this situation also presents an amazing opportunity for all kinds of get-rich-quick schemes and self-proclaimed gurus. Both leave people feeling tricked instead of empowered.
Still, that’s no reason not to make an investment in yourself. Plenty of brilliant coaches have your best interests at heart. Here are a few tips to help you differentiate between the imposters and the real deals.
Pay attention to the language.
Laws regulating media (and the internet, in particular) gradually are improving, but it never ceases to amaze me how many “gurus” exaggerate their outcomes and make claims that are too good to be true.
Is someone promising to teach you how to make $100,000 overnight? Lose 25 pounds in the first week? Change your mindset so you, too, can buy a yacht and cruise the Caribbean while your $1,000 investment makes you millions? Come on. You’re a big boy or a girl. You should know better. You’re better off hiring a coach who cuts through the flashy language and guarantees results only if you put in the work yourself.
Related: Why It’s Important to Have a Coach in Business and Life
Ensure your coach walks the walk.
This is one of the first items to vet when evaluating coaches. If a coach promises to teach you how to make seven figures a year but can’t make it him- or herself, keep looking. To use another metric: Your health coach shouldn’t be sipping on a soda every time you meet.
Do your research. Make sure this person achieved what he or she claims to have…
