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 "Life"
Coach: Misnomer or Joke
Subject: Success, motivation, coaching, mentors
WARNING: This article is a Rant.
So I go to see this big name motivational speaker
who is pontificating his belief system in this huge, auditorium.
After he finishes, a young lady comes to the stage and begins speaking on her
take of the world and how we can all achieve success. This young lady
happened to be the daughter of this well known speaker. Can you spell
NEPOTISM?
She introduces herself as a "life coach".
Immediately my mind yells, "What the hell is that? Life coach?" I
silence my internal mechanism and continue to listen. She goes on for
about 30 minutes spewing all the basic motivational ya-ya I've come to despise.
Now let me stop here for a second to explain
myself. I believe the art of motivation and the psychological benefits
derived from feeling good about oneself is important. In a world bent on
spitting out negativity through every media orifice, good thoughts and words
are inspiration are a welcome antidote of modern day cynicism.
What I can't stand or condone are regurgitated,
benevolent bromides or warm and fuzzy stories that have more to do with fantasy
than reality. Again, don't get me wrong, I like a good story like everyone
else. History and traditions were built on stories being told while sitting in front of a campfire
since the dawn of man.
Back to the speaker. In those 30 minutes I
found out that she didn't have a college degree, she filed
bankruptcy a few years earlier and she now feels her destiny is to help other people by sharing what she
went through.
As the rapper Lil Jon would say, "What?"
So, what qualifies her to be a life coach?
Well, the fact that she never finished school or has a formal education AND that
she's been through bankruptcy. That makes as much sense as a divorcee
giving you tips on how to have a happy marriage.
But here's the killer part; she was dead serious
about helping people in the audience (who signed up for her $500 coaching
program of course) get their life on track. There's the rub.
Now let me be a little generous here and assume
that given her past experiences she can offer some valuable information or
insight on life. But can anyone really be your LIFE coach? What are
the qualifications to be a LIFE coach? Does this mean this coach will be
with me for life, until you die?
The absurdity of the label, "Life Coach" is
obvious. If you believe in a higher power (i.e., God), then you
might have a reason to want Him (or Her) as your life coach. But God
doesn't charge you by the hour! He would most likely refer you to the "Good
Book"; all the answers you need for success and prosperity are there for the
picking.
I'm convinced that anyone who calls themselves a life coach has to be
either delusional or has no concept of what the phrase implies.
On the
subject of people, let me remind you:
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You can't insure success, you can only guide
people.
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To guide them you have know their thought process.
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To understand them you would need to live with
them day in and day out.
Every day new challenges will crop up; a life
coach would have to be there every waking moment to insure that all the right
moves are being made. Do you see where I'm going with this...
It is impossible for anyone to be your Life Coach.
Just because someone has suffered or has gone through some hard times DOES NOT
qualify them to give you advice. It only qualifies them to tell you how
stupid they were and what lessons they've learned. I don't think you
should have to pay for this.
What is the exception? If a person has real
world experience and can help you shortcut your path to success by providing
tangible steps and information. I still wouldn't call that person a life
coach. I would either call them a friend or a mentor.
Victor
Please feel free to forward this article to a
friend or colleague.
Victor
Antonio G., one of America's top business motivational speaker and author of “The LOGIC of
Success”.
Copyright © 2005 by Victor
Antonio G. All rights reserved. This article MAY be
reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, as long as the author’s name, website and email address are
included as part of the article’s body. All inquiries, including
information on electronic licensing, should be directed to Victor Antonio G.
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