What Exactly is a Coach?

The first coach I ever knew was a gym coach. She was caring and supportive, and tough! She didn’t buy into any of the excuses we would offer and certainly didn’t get swayed by our whining.
As a result of her winning combination of communication skills, expertise in the game, and compassion in training and molding us, we went beyond what was comfortable on a regular basis. With her as our coach, we discovered the satisfaction of excelling as a team, even though on our own we were mediocre players.

Another experience of being more accomplished than I thought possible was with my piano performances. My teacher coached me through the challenges of difficult classical music, stage fright, and the ongoing struggle of routine practice. Even with small hands and average skills, I performed with passion and expertise, and felt the accomplishment of giving my audience the joy of hearing some of the most complex music.

As a personal coach, I teach communications, planning, and implementation skills. I’m the silent partner in producing seemingly impossible results. The purpose of a coach is to bring out the brilliance of their clients, working with them to open up new opportunities, and supporting them in taking the small steps, as well as making quantum leaps.

A coach is a teacher, a powerful listener and questioner, and an expert in moving things forward. A coach is the committed partner in enabling you to accomplish more than what is ordinary and predictable.

We can create our life to be abundant, fulfilling, and joyful. For most of us, having a coach in our corner is the surest, most effective way!

Everyday Losses

The amount of peace within yourself is directly related to how complete you are about your past, both recent and long ago.

I find my mind is quite busy at times, working out conversations I had yesterday, or last week, or last year. Without those conversations of wishing things had been better, or at least different, my mind would be more at rest. I would be more at rest!

Here’s an example: I remember a conversation I had with a friend a week ago. It ended abruptly and we haven’t talked since. Now I play it over and over in my mind, thinking of what I didn’t like about what he said and what I should have said, and on and on.

Looking deeper into that conversation, I ask myself, “What loss did I experience?” Well, I didn’t tell the truth and that bugs me because it’s a loss of integrity. This leads me to thinking about what was the truth that I didn’t say that might have made a big difference in that moment? Can it still make a difference? Since the truth isn’t always welcome, is it worth the risk of irritating my friend or me? Still to be decided!

I know the freedom that comes from completing on the devastating losses in my past. Now, I’m discovering the joy and peace of being aware, and doing the work of completing on even the everyday losses.

The peaceful feeling of a mind free of incomplete conversations is something I am grateful for whenever I experience it. This is one of the benefits I have as a result of doing my grief and loss actions on an ongoing basis.