Counselor, Consultant, Life Coach. What's the difference?

     I was recently asked the difference between a Life Coach and a consultant. I decided to add counselor into the equation too.
     Say you decide to go take some flying lessons and you attain a private pilot license. You then take a counselor flying. The flight is magnificent but being a new pilot a couple small mistakes were made. He was thoughtful and details his ideas about why the mistakes were made and gives you some input about how to do things differently on future flights. He may also ask some difficult questions concerning the origin of your lack of rudder control and why the plane feels like it is sliding sideways through the sky.  He wants you to understand what in your past has caused you to neglect keeping a careful eye on the turn coordinator. All while he throws in a few "hmmmm's" and "ahhh's" and "how did that make you feels?"
     You then take the consultant up and as before there were a few mistakes but nothing life threatening, you are in fact a good pilot just lacking experience. The consultant however notices your lack of rudder input as you bank over the city and he takes the controls. He carefully explains what you were doing wrong as he lands the plane. As he prepares to leave he gives you a three ring binder filled with all of his findings and concise suggestions on how to improve.
     It is now the coaches turn and you have a grin on your face and relief in your heart as he says, "This is great, where are we going to go? Do you want me to help navigate? Maybe help you keep an eye out for other planes? Do you have a map? Lets do this, it's gonna be a blast!"
     That's the difference. Perhaps a bit trite, and often there may be a few slight overlaps but you get the picture.

To blog or not to blog, that, is the question!

     The purpose of this blog is simply to share my thoughts, frustrations and hopes. Insights that I may glean from failures and the joys and lessons from successes. As a parent, a husband of 28 years and a working man out in the world, I should have plenty of fodder for this fire.
     I will also review some books that I feel could be helpful or that I shouldn't have wasted the money on. Books on different topics of self help, recreation or just a great read.
     I won't write on a schedule so be sure to check back from time to time or better yet, subscribe! If you have something you would like to recommend or a rant you need to vent be sure to leave a comment or feel free to visit my website you will find an email address there. For now, cheers! Go live life!

Introduction

     I suppose by way of introducing myself I would say that I am just a man, maybe even an average man, though I'm not sure what average is. I might also share that I have a burden. Every day I am around people who are dissatisfied and frustrated with their lives. They are burnt out or they are fighting any number of battles within themselves, usually alone. Functioning people who don't need therapy but don't see a very bright future as they trudge from one day to the next. Guys who want help but are convinced there is a stigma attached or they are just too proud. People who feel they have built a house of cards and may lose it all unless there are changes made but the thought of counseling makes their skin crawl. Angry people who will wait to get the help they need until they are forced to go through the motions by the legal system while their life is in shambles! People who have been in a rut so long they have hung pictures! This is my burden. Because I have been there myself and I want to help. I can help! To share with them that there is a purpose for their being on this huge spinning rock we call earth and they can live a happy, peaceful life. They don't have to bail on their life dreams just because something needs restructured or tweaked. Or maybe they need to let something go that is holding them back. I am not a therapist.consultant, counselor, or guru. I am a coach.
     I am just a man. A working man. I have been at it for nearly 40 years trying to make a buck while making sense of the craziness. From menial labor and running heavy equipment to owning a successful high end interior/exterior trim company in Vail for ten years. Claiming the first impressions people had when they drove up to a multi million dollar mansion and took in the craftsmanship that my crew and I had put into their dream. I made money like a horse but I suffered the same burn-out and battles that I witness raging around me today. One day I simply threw in the towel, sent my employees packing and I quit.
     So do I have it all figured out? I wish I could say yes! But like I said, I am just a man. As stuck with the human condition as you but I have found the key. It is to get help when you need it. It may be as simple as finding a closed mouthed friend to bounce ideas off of. As for myself, as an entrepreneur I had no one to share frustrations and challenges with. Having someone to use as a sounding board would have been like gold. As a Life Coach, I partner with you to get you back on track or identify and get over that hurdle that has been plaguing you, simply through some action steps that we figure out together. You can have a bright future! You don't have to go through life angry, discouraged or afraid! You may have heard the quote: "Change your mind, change your life"? I am here to tell you it's true. Simple. But not necessarily easy. So drop any misconceptions about life coaches you may have and shoot me an email. Will that be your first action step to a more fulfilling, happy, purposeful life?