Which led me to think, "Maybe I have a gift for this. Maybe this is my new career. Maybe the wisdom of my years could be used to help others who are where I have been. Maybe I should become [insert fanfare] . . . a Life Coach. (Stop laughing!) So I did a little research (research = Google) into what, exactly, a life coach does. From my detailed analysis involving over one web-site, I learned the following:
- You do not need to know, nor employ, the basic rules of grammar in order to be a life coach.
- A life coach isn't, necessarily, fully prepared to do his/her job. The comprehensive education required for this field can be accomplished in sixteen hours (not credit hours, hours) for less than $400.
- A life coach doesn't actually have the answers to life's questions, but he/she can dance a little side-step* by using lines such as "I believe that you know the answers to every question or challenge you may have in your life. I simply empower you to find those answers within yourself."
- Life coaches "motivate" and "give confidence boosts"
- Life coaches are fond of vague, ambiguous phrases.
- There is actually a national convention of life coaches . . . seriously!
But the light bulb finally came on when I read this description:
Life coaches "deal with relatively healthy people who want to improve their lives in specific ways, such as changing careers, finding a healthy relationship, losing weight, or deepening their self-understanding. They deal with stress management, time management, and goal setting to help their clients lead more balanced lives that better reflect the client's personal values and priorities."
Then I knew - It's not that I have a "gift" for fixing lives, or special qualities that would guarantee my success. The reason I'm so well-qualified for this job is because I, along with millions of other women, have been doing it for years. "Life Coach" is just the new-age name for Mom.
*Bonus points if you can name the movie which included the song "Dance A Little Sidestep". Double your points if you can also name title/artist of the song featured in the title of this post.
** Since I am making fun of their content, I have graciously excluded the names of the actual web-sites from which I took the above statements. If you happen to be a copyright attorney or some such thing, the information is available on request. But does your client seriously want people to know that they wrote this drivel?
Haha, excellent!!
ReplyDeleteI must say that these days everyone seems to be a coach (whether it's 'life' or 'executive' or...).
Way to go, Mom!
ReplyDeleteRosemary