Why are you here?

Often when I tell people that I am a Professional Life Coach, I get asked:

What is a Life Coaching anyways?

There are a million ways to answer that question, depending on the time allowed. Here are two:

Wiki say: Life coaching is a future-focused practice with the aim of helping clients determine and achieve personal goals.

Tanya say: It’s about getting crystal clear about what you from this very short life and getting you there. BOOM!

Once that’s out of the way, a little glimmer can creep into the asker’s eyes. Now, this may be a story that I have made up. It’s possible. I do enjoy stories. But here goes…I think that the glimmer is the product of an unasked question that goes something like this:

Who do you think YOU are to help others? After all, didn’t you admit on Facebook that you took the subway going the wrong way three times in two weeks? You’re not exactly “together” now are you?

Yup…I also consider myself a devotee of fine cheeses yet adore Cheez Whiz on Stoned Wheat Thins with sliced olives. I’m complex that way.

Admittedly, I am not altogether together. Luckily, I don’t have to be. To be an effective and powerful coach, I just need to hold YOUR togetherness sacred, not my own. And why oh why do I admit my flaws so publicly? Number one reason: transparency breeds authenticity. Authenticity is a core value that I hold dear. Ipso facto, I’ll tell you about my foibles…if you care to hear about them. What I hope you’ll listen to is the LESSON that I arrived at along the way (further to train story, I realized that I was doing a lousy job of NOTICING my surroundings…I have done some work on that and am gaining on being fully present again).

Try it…you may like it…and heck, it may even bring people closer to you once they see how truly imperfect you really are. Unless of course you are perfect, in which case, I feel for you…it must be lonely on that mountaintop.