Coaches: Finding the People Who Will Kick Your Ass Into Gear
I used to believe that you could only accomplish things alone and on your own merit. I thought that I didn’t need to look up to anyone. I thought that heroes were for children. I thought that not having heroes somehow made me more independent than everyone else. By not living my life by someone else’s laws I was free. I enjoyed this freedom all the way to rock bottom. Because I had no guidelines, I was at the whims of whatever life threw at me. I was like a plastic bag blowing around in the wind. No direction, no aim. Just existence. Despite the way that I lived my life, I expected to end up somewhere great. That seldom happens to plastic bags, though.
Self-motivation is an interesting word. Some blessed people have it. Most of us, however, are more motivated by external forces. Anyone who has played a sport knows that a coach can push you beyond what you thought you could physically do. College students wouldn’t pull all-nighters on research papers if there wasn’t a Professor to fail them. Most of us abide by the rules of our respective workplaces to avoid getting fired. It’s actually kind of crazy looking at all of the things that people can influence us to do. However, knowing this means that you can control who influences you and what they will influence you to do.
The people that we surround ourselves with have an enormous impact on our lives. Executives tend to have executive friends. Musicians are drawn to other artists. Bums hang out with bums. So, common sense would dictate that all members of a group would have similar attitudes, beliefs and work ethics. Therefore, if you are unhappy with the how your life is going, you might want to change the people you associate yourself with. When selecting who you come into contact with, seek out those you would like to emulate. Find Someone who has already accomplished what you would like to accomplish, or lives the way that you would like to live. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, so make sure it’s someone you admire.
But let’s go a step beyond that. Don’t just associate with someone. Have them hold you accountable for your advancement. In the modern sense of the word, a coach is a person who directs you towards your goal. They’re not just the person you want to model yourself after, but also the person who will light the fire under your ass and commit you to doing the most important things in life. The things that you know are important but not urgent, so you put them off to the side where they will inevitably collect dust. Whether you want to improve your finances, well being or love life, there is a coach specializing in that field at your disposal.
Ever since I have personally been coached, which drastically improved my life, I have been inspired to do the same for others. The lessons that I learned help me rise up from squalor and eventually formed into the Plenitude Law. This law is an accumulation of the coaching that I have received throughout my life and my own experience. Coaching is, in a sense, a shortcut past the shortcomings of others. It is someone providing you with a road map so that you don’t become lost in life like so many others. A coach is your motivator, guide and confidant. Even if you don’t seek that from me, find it from someone because in the end, living is a skill and the only way you’re going to get better at it is with a good teacher. I’m Tom McGrath with the Plenitude Law, and I look forward to seeing you soon!