There is an old saying in life coaching that goes: if you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space. I learned this lesson on the rock walls of the Wind River Mountain Range in Western Wyoming. Known for its high quality granite, the Wind Rivers are a haven for mountaineers willing to hike in for three or four days to enjoy what might be the most sensual experience of their lives.

Each Day’s Beginning Lies in the Night Before

The last conscious acts done before slipping into a mountaineer’s sleeping bag is to spread wide open their boots, so that even after they freeze during the night, the mountaineer can still get their feet into them and start the process of thawing them out so the mountaineer can properly lace them up by the time the mountaineer needs to begin the serious climb of the day.

Each Day’s Ending Begins with the Sun’s Rising

At first light, the rock’s cold is paralyzing. Fingers are too stiff to grasp anything securely. But as the sun warms the rock, fingers begin to feel the rock’s texture and become aware of the commitment of the mountain to absolute solidity – to be the measure of all things reliable and substantial. Then as the climber’s fingertips begin to understand that even the smallest nubbin can support their master’s entire weight, they begin to understand the meaning of commitment and accountability. And if the mountaineer fully engages the rock, and sets aside all thoughts of doubt and hesitation, then and only then can the mountaineer survive the trials of the day – all to return to their camp, and eat, and once again prepare their boots for the freezing temperatures of the night.

Life Coaching must Rise from Life really Lived

The first role of life coaching is to connect the client with life really lived. Not life obsessed with self or petty undertakings. But life fully engaged with the execution of great dreams. This is because, to be hesitant and to dabble in mediocrity, at the expense of higher aspirations, is to abdicate our role as human beings. And life coaching cannot settle for this, no matter what the challenge, any more that the mountaineer can choose not to participate in the climb and consequently die as a victim of their own mediocrity.

Technorati Tags: Life Coaching

An old adage of life coaching is that if you aim for the moon you’ll get over the barn but if you aim to get over the barn you’ll end up in the puddle in front of the barn. You knew that, didn’t you? Well that is Abundance Coaching in a nut shell.

Fear of Heights and Fear of Flying

So much of coaching is all about overcoming fears. It is fear that keeps us from stepping into our potential. It is fear that keeps us from allowing our spirits to soar. And unfortunately, it is fear that keeps so many people clutching to the carpet of our world as if they were clutching to its ceiling. So how do you coax a baby eagle to fly? The answer is that you don’t. Don’t think about it. Don’t even dare to try. No coaxing! That’s right the mother eagle hurls her young from the nest. And in that moment of tough-love, the young eagles are thrust into their greatness.

The Call to Greatness from Our Creator

It is no accident that the young eagles never fall. They always fly. And it is no accident that people blow through the ceiling once they let their spirits fly. It is an inside job. It is in our DNA. And it is in the imprint of our creator’s being pressed onto our hearts. Like the eagle, we were made and called to soar— frankly far beyond our wildest imaginings. Now if that is the case, why do so many people need serious life coaching? That’s a great question, but not for this evening.

The Question for Tonight Is How Can Life Coaching Break the Bonds that Hold Us Back?

The answer has two parts, and we have touched on each of them. The two keys to liberation through life coaching are aiming for the moon, and throwing our clients from their nests. And each of these is a form of abundance coaching. Help your clients experience the greatness of the world and their part in it. Do not try to move them in tiny steps off the carpet and into the air. Help them see that they are called to greatness and the rest of the world is waiting celebrate them for playing their part.

Dave Iuppa
JTS Advisors Strategy and Accountability Coach

Technorati Tags: Life Coaching

I am pleasantly surprised to find that it seems like life coaching and horses have a lot in common. When searching the key words “horses” and “life coaching” I found nine different coaching schools who use horses to aid them in their life coach work. Then when reversing the order, I found six more hits. I had no idea I would find so many life coaching programs which use horses in their curriculum.

Is It Just a Gimmick to Use Horses in Life Coaching?

As far as I can tell it is not a gimmick but has real merit, one program had the ICF logo.

In addition, there are also quite a few interesting testimonials from people, with many different careers, who had used this coaching method. One of the main groups who benefited from this approach is parents and children. Apparently it has notably helped parents with autistic children. There are also many testimonials from those who successfully learned leadership lessons from the horse approach.

What is Life Coaching With Horses All About?

The results of life coaching with horses didn’t sound much different than traditional coaching, however, it is certainly a novel way of going about it. All of the sites pretty much said the same things about what the horse could do such as:

• A horse is a great teacher and has the ability to reflect one’s true intentions, thus teaching self confidence, honesty and trust.
• Horses help you to be able to recognize negative behavior that you might not have been able to recognize on your own.
• Many of the sites expressed it is a very successful way to learn and improve emotional intelligence. It seems that the horse’s intuition and instinct helps them to be able to read people’s body language and moods, and teaches you to do the same.
• You can’t lie to the horse, as the horse will only respond in the right way when you’re being honest and giving clear instructions.
• It also seems that horses are non-judgmental, which is good news, as I certainly wouldn’t want to be underfoot of a judgmental horse.
• I also understand that you can gain passion, the ability to live fearlessly, clarity about your purpose in life, access to higher levels of self-awareness, as well as rid yourself of limiting beliefs, worries and confusion.

Why Not Take A Life Coaching Horse Vacation?

If you want to take a vacation and at the same time have an opportunity for self-growth, check out some of the life coaching with horses sites. Some of them offer weekend retreat options along with accommodations. This might be a refreshing change from more traditional coaching retreats.

Technorati Tags: Life Coaching