When I began my sojourn [Exodus] after a 10 day vision quest in 1996 I had a general sense of purpose but I knew I was searching for a specific ‘mission’ and clarity about how to evolve myself personally and bring my gifts into the world.  I was never able to put myself into a career box but I needed to find meaningful work to do that fit my personality type.  At that time the ‘New Age’ magazine was in its first years of publication and a friend of mine had a copy that had a feature article about ‘Life Coaching’.   The article had a list of personality traits and skills of a good life coach that was something like this:

bridge

“You don’t have to cross that bridge of changes alone…let a life coach walk beside you!”

  • Listening
  • Feedback
  • Observing
  • Analyzing
  • Communication
  • Timing
  • Assimilation
  • Organizing
  • Empathy
  • Ethics
  • Complimenting
  • Motivating
  • Empowering
  • Intuition
  • Energetic
  • Positivism
  • Creative
  • Interested
  • Self-Assured
  • Thirst for knowledge

The article interested me so I contacted Coach U, the program that the article cited in its sources, and got more information.  I was traveling and on a very low budget so I wrote a letter to the president asking if there was a possibility of receiving a scholarship into the training program.  I received an amiable reply and got complimented on my “great moxie“…thus began my life coaching ‘career’.

CleanSweepBecause I had already done my own ‘clean sweep’ program and had engaged in multiple self-esteem training/learning modules [Jack Canfield Self Esteem and Peak Performance was my favorite] I had a knack for helping people I would meet on my journey.  I created a ‘program’ that I used as a guide with clients and experienced deep satisfaction with being able to add my energy to someones journey towards their own personal growth and goals.

What I had difficulty with at that time was getting comfortable charging money for my ‘service’.  It felt odd to me because all my life I had ‘coached’ my friends and suddenly I was trying to put a structure around what came so naturally to me and charging money for it.  Also at that time ‘coaching’ was new profession and people were not as familiar as they are now.  It was like ‘friend for hire’ and eventually I went back to simply being a friend and advocate- the only thing I expected in return was their success and happiness!

The things I learned with Coach training though have served me well in my role as advocate, activist, and supporter of the causes that my path led me to.  The skill set that coaches learn have brought a great deal of positive change/evolution to the business world and peoples personal lives.

IMG_458611 of my favorite life advice:

1. Have the courage to live a life true to yourself, not the life others expect of you.
2. “There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” Ernest Hemingway
3. Don’t make decisions when you’re angry. Don’t make promises when you’re happy.
4. The only view worth having is on the mountain of ones dead false selves.
5. Remember you’ll always regret what you didn’t do rather than what you did.
6. “You’d worry less about what people think about you if you knew how seldom they do.” David Foster Wallace
7. If you blame it on someone else, don’t expect it to get better..
8. “Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right.” Isaac Asimov
9. Wait 24 hours before getting mad and reacting about anything. If it doesn’t bother you in 24 hours time, it probably isn’t important enough to get mad over.
10. Be persistent. When knowledge and ability aren’t enough, be persistent.
11. Happiness is a choice and everything else is a matter of perspective.