Resistance Whisperer Tells All!

Here's the newsletter I sent out last night (in case you missed it). I'm giving only one more notice for those who want to be in a coach training with me. The last one begins Nov 15, 2014. That's only about 10 days from now, and the class is almost full, so I thought I'd post the information here for those who don't get my announcements. 

Resistance Whisperer Tells All!

First, I love to work with Resistance. I mostly love the success rate of my methods (which is close to 100% as you've noticed on my Resistance Teleconference Workshops, or my retreats).

Second, when it comes to winning over Resistance I don't advise what everyone else seems to advise:

For instance:

• You won't hear a word out of me about the power of positive thinking, or making yourself believe something (even that you yourself are wonderful and lovable). If you've read my books or been in 'Hanging Out (with Barbara Sher)' or at my Frankfurter Ring Coach Trainings or Scanner Retreats you have seen this truth over and over: Believe what you like. Personally, when I'm sick I prefer my doctor to give me the kind of medicine that works whether I believe in it or not.  


• I don't believe mere humans can muscle Resistance down, either, so don't look for this kind of thing if you're working with me: 'Try harder,' 'Keep trying,' 'Just do it," or 'Where's your guts, you sissy?' It's very bracing if you're on a football team, but I never was on a football team, so I gave up on it a long time ago: I've always found 'Self-Discipline' to be a contradiction in terms.


• And I refuse to go near anything like, 'Expect it from the universe.' Maybe the universe actually gives us stuff, I have no idea about that. But if it does, it also gives us the flu, flat tires, and Daylight Savings Time. I just don't talk to the universe at all. But I'm very happy to talk to you.

So tell me this: What are you Resisting?

I'd really like to know. Just hit Reply and your answer will come right into my inbox. And I'll answer it. Really. (If possible, in my next newsletter in a few days.)

If you wish you had a coach like me, I thank you. I'm trying to make sure there will be some Barbara Sher coaches in this world after I stop working. I'm hoping to send out about 100 of the best I've found. I need only a few more to meet that goal.

If you want to be one of those coaches, and work with me personally to learn my coaching methods, you'll have to sign up really soon for my upcoming, final coach training. It starts in less than two weeks!

If you missed your last newsletter, here are a couple of videos (in English and German) from my conference call about "Should you be a coach?"

And here's a new one I think you'll enjoy, from a wonderful workshop in Berlin in March of this year. It's about my methods, short and sweet:

Barbara Sher Reveals the Truth About Resistance (mit deutscher Übersetzung)

Some people come to my trainings who don't want to be coaches, and I welcome them too. If you've found that my books and other works have helped you and you simply want to have a great, productive life for yourself, without being stopped by Resistance, that's okay with me, too. Sign up for the coaching class while there's still room.

In case you didn't read your last newsletter, let me say this again: I am retiring from doing intensive in-person trainings like these after this coach training. I've already stopped running my 6-day retreats, and in a little over 10 months, this training will end and I won't be teaching in person any more. If you wish you could be in this class, I want to see you there.

Coaches who want to train with me are already natural coaches, and I don't want to miss the chance to train naturally talented people. The world needs good coaches too much!

Fortunately, lots of you did read my last newsletter and I am delighted to know I'll be shaking your hand in two weeks!

But if you're Resisting taking action on this, let's change that right now! Contact the Frankfurter Ring - just for information! - before you move on to the next thing in your inbox!

This information is available in German too.

There are a number of strategy levels for overcoming Resistance, from the simple Tips and Tricks we all know (use a timer, give yourself a reward), all the way through methods I've developed that melt Resistance on the spot, when it's really really important (like on an audition, a job interview or a first date!). And even one more level than that.

Hanging Out with Barbara Sher new member registration is open today through November 16.

Read about it, watch the video, and sign up here:

http://barbarasclub.com/hangingout

That wasn't a change of subject. 'Hanging Out' is a kind of miracle, my newest strategy for overcoming Resistance. I'm so proud of it I can hardly read the letters I get from members without getting emotional.

I know this about 'Hanging Out:' some of the things we need in life, the most important things, the ones that give us clarity and courage and give us back our authentic selves, take time. They also take safety and companionship. And kindness. Some fascinating explorations, and a few laughs.

I call 'Hanging Out' Identity Rehab.

I can't explain how it works any better than I could at the beginning. I'll just say that it took more time and care than anything else I've done, and that I have never loved working on anything more. (And if I get my next book in the can, I'm going to work on another year of 'Hanging Out!')

When you've been part of it and people ask what it was, all you can say is, "You had to be there."

Well, a few people have said more. They gave me permission to quote their comments from 'Hanging Out.' You decide. If you want to come on board, do it right now or you might forget that November 16 (when the clock strikes midnight in NY) is the real deadline and you'll have to wait many months until your next chance.

Success Teams leaders (you wonderful guides and midwives for everyone's dreams!), watch your email for a hefty discount on 'Hanging Out.' I want you to experience this.

I'll let these comments say goodbye for now:

This ["What If an Idea is a Work of Art? Or a Good Joke?"] is an amazing post. I had to read it slowly and even re-read it. Then I actually saw my thoughts as a beautiful stained-glass window in my mind's eye...incredible. This is my favourite inspirational post in all of Hanging Out. Thank-you Barbara!
- Sue

Hanging out with you on Fridays is like taking a warm, richly-scented bath while eating chocolate and reading an absorbing book. So many delights all at once to feed our senses. Thank you for reminding me there is so much still to learn and to live for.
- Jay

The [Wednesday] identity exercises are steep hills though when embraced are a breath of fresh air. Just to say I like the pace of Hanging Out...it's thoughtful and helpful and challenging.
- Shelley

My inner and outer life has shifted and is beginning to bloom. Barbara...YOU are truly an original. A special soul that brings life, light, imagination, dreams, and freedom to a world that seems confining. You blast through illusion of a limited life. You have been one of the true hallmarks of my life.
- Terre

Thank you Barbara. Again. This is why I am hanging out with you. My life is nearly being swallowed up by the needs of others right now and this simple action can keep my creativity flowing and also keep me from feeling like a victim!
- Katie

Thank you Barbara (and everyone else that has posted!) for the encouragement to hear my own voice again this week and furthermore, to dare and listen to it. :-)
- Christina

What part was most valuable for me? This is hard to answer, because all the elements of Hanging Out were important to me. The videos, the exercises, the audio, the links to resources...I wouldn't change any of these. But I have to say - the conference calls - during every one of them I shed tears. I found the calls to be the most powerful and moving element of Hanging Out, for me. I could identify with so many of the callers and their stories. And even though I have read and re-read most of your books, Barbara...the things you said on these calls jolted me awake, turned my head and sometimes make me laugh out loud. [Note: the phone calls -- 6 a year -- are a special treat for members in Year Two of Hanging Out.]
- Sue

I've had a habit of trying to figure out the reason for my place on earth, to 'find' greatness, and it now seems obvious and a relief to realise that what seems important to me on any given day is enough. The moments spent following my heart and 'using' my particular gift/s will add up to a life well lived. And Hanging Out has a wonderful 'small step' set-up. :-)
- Fiona

Reading these posts has helped me to feel connected again. Isolation IS the dream killer.
- Jay

Come connect with me, and with lots of other wonderful people, through Hanging Out or in person in Frankfurt starting November 15, 2014.

Yours,

Barbara Sher


Barbara Sher is a world-renowned authority on identifying goals, finding drive and motivation, and avoiding resistance the natural way. (She does not believe in positive thinking, creating realities or the 'male, military model' of overcoming inner blocks.) She has 5 best-selling books in more than a dozen languages (including German), lively videos on YouTube to explain her work and Barbara's Club with online courses, book clubs, and a free Idea Party. Sher is an inspiring speaker who has been called 'a standup comic with a message' and 'the godmother of life coaching.'
email: barbara@barbarasher.com
web: http://www.barbarasher.com

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My debate with positive thinkers continues

• • Continued from a few days ago, and two posts ago:
  •  
  • Everyone agreed that you can't do it alone, a bit relieved to avoid more talk about how you need to believe in yourself to achieve success. 
  • 
    
    Z said:

    I am not aware of anyone who teaches otherwise. I'm sure there are some, but not anyone I'm familiar with.
    
    I believe even job seekers and self-employees benefit greatly from having teams.
    
    The saying is "teamwork makes the dream work."
    
    I hope Barbara tells us more about how she teaches people to develop teams. Obviously, that is a very important part of her program. 

    
    
  • BSher:
    

    I have a website devoted to it: www.shersuccessteams.com  It comes with a kit and worksheets and an audio of me walking them through 8 weeks and learning how to run the team for as long as they like. It's based mostly on Wishcraft, and the informal teams are just a sort of Wishcraft book club. (Wishcraft is free online at www.wishcraft.com).
    Z was gracious:

  • Wishcraft is online for free. That's wonderful. Thank you for mentioning it. I read it so long ago (probably the 1980's) that I don't remember very much. I've grown and changed so much since then, I'm sure to see it completely differently than I did back then.

    
    

    Someone wrote me an email asking if Wishcraft was the only book I'd written. She assumed it was out of print after 35 years. Naturally, I had to answer that!

    
    

     BSher: I've written some books since then. I've been lucky and all but one of my 6 books (by major publishers) has stayed in print and is still useful. Wishcraft is still in print since 1979, I just decided to put it up for free a few years ago because people in India and South America could never get their hands on it. It's sold over a million copies by now. (It's no "Parachute" of course, :-) but it has meant a lot to a whole lot of people, I'm very honored to say.)
    
    After that I stopped writing for awhile. Then in 1994 I wrote "I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was" (Got on Oprah and the NYTimes bestseller list with that one.) It still is one of my most popular books. Then "Live the Life You Love" (which I love but I'm not sure many people know about it  -- though it won first prize for motivational books in the first-ever Books For A Better Life commission in 1996 or 7.
    
    In 1999 I wrote 'It's Only Too Late If You Don't Start Now: How to Create Your Second Life" which was a very different kind of book - just came out in a German edition last month and is going into it's 3rd printing I think.
    
    And then a book in 2005 which I'm extra proud of: "Refuse To Choose=.," That's the first book out there about people with 'too many interests.' (I named them 'Scanners.') I get more 'love letters' from that book (and chapter 6 of "I Could Do Anything..." - which is about the same multi-talented people) than all my other books combined. 

    
    

    Ego salved, I got back to my major point:
    
    It's been a lot of hard work, work I love doing, and a lot of gratification all along. (Sorry about the bio -- someone asked. They're probably sorry now.) :-)

    
    
  • PS: I read my books now and they're pretty good. Better than I thought at the time. I honestly didn't believe they'd be successful, any of them. I didn't think I'd get on Oprah. I didn't think I'd be any good on her show. I never expected to be on the NY Times bestseller list even though "I Could Do Anything..." had been on bestseller lists in L.A. and Denver and San Francisco, etc. for months before that.
    
    I meant to add that to the conversation. I do believe that when you're lucky enough to have hard work you love to do, your life will be good whether you're 'successful' or not and whether you believe in yourself or not, or feel positive or negative or any way at all. 

    
    

    [I forgot to tell her that a psychiatrist once wrote to thank me for something I said in 'Wishcraft' which she read to her patient and which made him feel a lot better: "I love my life even on the days I hate myself."]  

    
    

    I just have to get this point of view into the discussion, amidst all the voices that say the power of your mind and your belief in yourself determines whether or not you will have a good life.
    
    I respect your position but there is an opposing view. I want you to know that.

Can we change our direction in life by changing the way we think?

I was alerted in my inbox that there was a discussion on LinkedIn. Here's what it said: 

"I've heard that the Secret to Success is in the POWER of YOUR MIND, what do you think, can we change our direction in life by changing the way we think?"

There was a link to someone teaching mind-power stuff so I have to believe this discussion was intended for believers. If you know me, you know my answer to this question, but I didn't respond at first. I read a little. (I don't know if it's okay to quote from LinkedIn to my blog, so I've hidden names to protect the innocent.) 


Here are the first responses: 

X: Absolutely!

Y: Definitely! several studies have shown the impact of positive thoughts. Also, meditation/intense concentration changes the brain waves from beta to alpha where there is a free flow of ideas and creativity thrives. We can behave our way into new thinking!

Z: Yes. A change in mindset can make all the difference. For most that is a matter of deprogramming what we learned in the past and reprogramming for the present.

And a change in mindset alone will not make someone successful. Action is required. More specifically, the right action in the right sequence. And if there is an error, a failure if you will, then the will to get up and learn from the error and keep going; which comes from having a success mindset. Mindset and action go together.

I had to answer that. I couldn't help it:

BSher:  Well, it's not my way of helping people find their direction and get the courage to follow it. I don't think we should always be trying to train ourselves to think one way or another. We should try to know what we're feeling and thinking and pay attention to what is causing our problems, so we can fix them. I do not believe we do - or should - create our own reality, either. There already is a reality. Retraining your mind takes so much time and effort - I'm not sure it's possible. I kind of hope it isn't. Anyway, we should use that time and effort to go after what we love, and to get and give support to help us and our fellow humans on our way.

The most confident stepped up to the plate with a fine question:

Z: Barbara. Do you believe that people who don't believe they can succeed . . . can succeed?


I don't think she expected my answer, but what I wrote would be the truth.

BSher:   Sure. I did. :-)

I think I'm successful. I'm not rich, but I do work I love, I know I help people, and I look good on paper. I didn't strive to succeed. Didn't even know what success was supposed to mean. I just wanted to pay my rent and take care of my kids. (I was a single parent since they were 2 and 5 years old). I just paddled around like a dog in a flood, checking to find dry land and something to eat. I liked hard work if it was at something I liked doing.

Was never good at being treated badly by a boss, so I mostly stayed on my own. I tried lots of things that didn't work, and lots of things that did. I mostly did what I was naturally good at: working with people. Over the years I learned as much as I taught, and designed workshops because I liked doing that and it helped me earn a little extra money. I saw how interesting people were and turned my workshops into books. Not much has changed. But only one of my 6 books has ever gone out of print, and I'm proud of that.


She came back with more of those fine questions. It was sort of a chess move on her part I guess, and I'm sure she had won more than one game this way, but that was okay because each of her questions got me to do some thinking.

Z: Interesting. I wasn't aware of your story.

I understand keeping going no matter what to take care of your children. Did you believe you would find a way to earn enough to take care of them?

Did you believe in your ability to work with people? Of finding a way to help them? Did you believe that you could prepare and facilitate a workshop or write a book?

Our did you do these things thinking that there was no way you were capable of doing any of those things?


BSher: Did I believe I could get a job? I didn't know until I got one.

[I didn't say this at the time, but when I thought about it later I realized I was pretty sure I could *not* get a job, actually. I had a degree in anthropology in 1967 when it was about as useful as a degree in Philosophy, which is to say, not at all. It was pure luck that in NYC at that particular time you could get a job at the dept of social services with a degree in anything!]

(I didn't like it much and wasn't very good at it.) I had no experience of working well with people - peers or authorities - and I didn't expect that to change.

And then I was put in charge of a group of people, and took to it like a fish to water. It was my first experience with being a leader/teacher, and I discovered talents I didn't know I had in problem solving, and understanding or knowing how to ask questions until I understood, what people were really saying and feeling.


I never realized this until I wrote it down. I never got to use my natural abilities with people (and thought I didn't have any) until I became a group leader for the first time in my life. (Not at that job, at my other job. I had two at a time.) Some day I'll have to think more about that. It's a bit of a revelation.

I certainly believe it now. :-)

You say above, "And if there is an error, a failure if you will, then the will to get up and learn from the error and keep going; which comes from having a success mindset." I agree with the first part: that you get up, learn from the error and keep going and that will eventually get you to a good place.

But I disagree with your conclusion: that this comes from having a success mindset. In many cases, certainly in mine, it came from a survival mindset.

Nothing daunted, Z clarified: 
 
Z: When I say a "success mindset," I mean as opposed to a failure mindset. Of course, these are the opposite ends on a spectrum. They are the black and white of the spectrum. There are many "shades of gray" in between.

Maybe it is more accurate to pose this as having either an "I can't" attitude versus, "How will I?" attitude. Can you relate to that?

I presume you heard the quote that is usually attributed to Henry Ford, "Whether you think you can or can't; you're right."

I have seen this in action over and over again. Many people come to believe that they are too stupid to do anything. Or they are too old to get a job, so go to interviews with an attitude that they won't be hired. Or that having money is only for other people. And they prove themselves right constantly. And very frequently, they just give up.

I don't believe that people are born with this attitude. I believe it is ingrained in us from youth or from hearing things over and over again. It can come from parents telling children, that they are stupid and incapable. Or from being made fun of by peers. Or from the way things are shown in the media.

Obviously, you did not give up. You say that you had a survival mindset. You obviously didn't throw up your hands and say, "I can't do this." It would seem more of I've got to keep trying until I find a way to make this work attitude. Is that correct? More of a "How I will" attitude?

It appears that you experimented a great deal. And you didn't always succeed. But you kept going.

Isn't that very much what Edison did with the light bulb--10,000 attempts until he found what worked?

There would seem to have been a profound determination on both your parts to find the solution no matter what.


Now she had gone too far. I'm sure it was meant to be a fine compliment, but I was never a fan of Edison, and lately I'm a fan of Tesla. Still, I could have let that pass. But I had no intention of letting Z slip in that I had 'a profound determination,' because that simply wasn't true. I feel a far more profound determination today to combat this dreadful, often destructive 'mindset' about Positive Thinking.

From my perspective, that is having a success attitude. Success attitude in that I will find a way to take care of my children. I know some things that won't work and I'm going to keep trying until I find something that does.

Is that accurate?

I just couldn't bring myself to say the truth: No, that is not accurate. It was time to stop ping-pong and say what was on my mind: 



BSher: It seems to me that a 'success attitude' means you need to believe you can succeed. I'd like to propose that this attitude isn't important, and it creates an unnecessary bar that not everyone can get over. I've found that you can be certain you'll fail, and still 'succeed.'

And I don't believe in de-programming or re-programming our brains. We're not smart enough to get that right. We don't have enough understanding of who we already are to start ripping out walls and taking down roofs in our brains. I've worked with thousands of people for over 5 decades who did very well without any attitude makeovers at all.

Sometimes it seems that almost everyone believes as you do: that a positive attitude is the only -- or the required - tool for solving every problem. But there are lots of other ways to get on your feet and create a decent life - even if you start out being a sourpuss. Even if you stay that way!

And I completely disagree with Henry Ford in the quote above. It doesn't really matter what we think. And why would anyone think about 'success' in advance anyway?

When I get medicine from my doctor I want it to work whether I believe in it or not.

It does matter what we do. Sometimes to do something, you need help. Good. I believe in that and I can show people how and where to get it. (Informal or formal Success Teams, Idea Parties, classes, courses, coaches, Structure and Accountability, finding your Drive, etc.).

What I'm saying that I didn't quite say there is this: no matter what the problem is, there's a solution. One that doesn't require positive thinking and 'believing.' 

Everything I read about believing in yourself, or about that Henry Ford quote above, is based on the notion that you can succeed all by yourself if you only think the right thoughts. That's not true. I know that for sure. And that's not how human beings are designed.

Here's a free cartoon kickstarter you can download (without leaving me your email address or anything else). I wrote it years ago with the help of a great cartoonist and it's called "How To Get What You Really Want Even If You Have No Goals, No Character and You're Often in a Lousy Mood."

You'll find it at www.barbarasclub.com (I'm not selling anything there, and there's a free Idea Party going on all the time.)



Well, that's it so far, anyway. No answer from Z yet. 
 

I would love to hear *your* comments, about this discussion or Positive Thinking or my bad behavior or whatever suits you. (I'm smiling so I should leave an emoticon: :-) ) 

Can you make a living at what you love? Probably not. But you have to do it anyway.

What you love is what you are gifted at. But can you make a living at it? Probably not. But you have to do it anyway.

Here's how.


I'm convinced that what you love is what you are gifted at. (I convinced Oprah too, some years ago. She liked what I said so much she repeated it on camera: "Say that again. No, let me say it: What you love is what you are gifted at," she grinned.)

I believe it still, more than ever.

When you love to do something, that's a message from your DNA showing what you're good at. Think about it: Horses can swim, but they don't do it unless they must. But from their earliest days, horses love to run even when they have no place to go. That's what they're designed to do, and it's a good thing they enjoy it, because those colts who didn't enjoy it got eaten before they could reproduce.

But can you earn your living doing what you love? Eventually, perhaps, if your gift is something people pay for by the time you get really good at it. But right away? Usually not. Don't invest in office furniture just yet. Unless what you love is finance and you're in a position to get into a top job, you almost certainly will not earn money at what you love for at least a few years, if then. Even with a gift you need time to practice and develop skill. (In fact, it's usually not a good idea to even try to earn money at what you love until you really know what you're doing.)  

But money or no money, you have to do what you love anyway. Why? I'll give you a link to a short video I made a few years ago that will explain why you must do what you love, but right now I want to tell you How. (I just smiled remembering that someone I admire greatly once called me her 'Hero of How.' )

What you need is a 'Good-Enough Job'
Do your best to find a job that doesn't drive you to drink, a job that isn't annoying or hateful and has as it's worst characteristic the fact that it isn't and will never be 'Enough.' That is, a life with only this job in it would be a life of despair. (If you already have that job, don't quit! Just start doing what you really love after work and on the weekends!)

You should call that job your 'Subsidy to the Arts.' Now you can do what you love on your own time, in your own way. You can explore and discover (or not discover), invent and fail (or succeed in your terms), with no one looking over your shoulder.

It's good to subsidize yourself. When you're creating something new you don't want to take orders from anyone. They rarely understand what you're doing. (Even you aren't 100% sure. )

So that's my message. I figure if it was good enough for Einstein, it's good enough for us.

Want to see the videos?

Clever son set up a camera during phone calls and has put some good video clips on YouTube (with German transcripts.)

Here, take a look:

"Should you become a coach?" (6 min)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmcOuvPIWiM


"Why I train coaches" (1min 39sec)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1qljoFXucs



To find out about the coach training (beginning Nov 15, 2014) look here:

http://www.frankfurter-ring.de/index.php?id=197&kid=10454  (English)

http://www.frankfurter-ring.de/index.php?id=6&kid=10454  (German)

Call #1 was great! But I answered all the questions! What will happen in call #2?

Call #2 is coming up. I guess I'll just let people ask what they want to.

Because everyone can listen to all 3 calls if they signed in before 7pm (France time).

But I bet I get a lot of this questions (so many people ask it): Can I coach others before my own life is exemplary? (The answer had better be yes, because my life isn't exemplary yet!) So I'll answer that again if someone asks it.

For now, here's that newsletter we sent out about these calls, in case you didn't get (because you're not on my mailing list, which is easily remedied if you go over to barbarasclub.com/courses and scroll down to the bottom and enter your email address).

Free call with Barbara: Should you be a life coach?



Barbara Sher's Newsletter
Thursday, August 28, 2014

Hi All

Do you ever wonder if you should be a Life Coach?

I've been running weekend workshops on various topics in Frankfurt, Germany for over 10 years and at every workshop, people discover, often to their surprise, that what they really love is helping other people solve problems.

I understand that very well. Helping people solve problems is my profession and my mission. I've been doing it for over 45 years. In fact, I was a life coach before any of us had a name for it. Then, after running a workshop in South Carolina more than 30 years ago, a local newspaper wrote an article about me and called me a Life Coach in the headline.
I loved that title immediately. To me a coach is someone who has the interest and natural ability to help others solve lifestyle problems. Skills and training aren't the same for psychologists or religious counselors and neither are the goals.

I once read an ad in an airport that I've never forgotten: "Fulfilling your dreams can be more therapeutic than analyzing them." Of course, sometimes people need a psychologist or a minister or a good athletic trainer, for that matter. But I think almost everyone would benefit from an intelligently  trained life coach who has real respect for them and a commitment to help solve their problems.

Being a coach is not for everyone. But it's profoundly satisfying for 'naturals.'  They know who they are because they've been doing some form of coaching since they were little kids.

So if you've been wondering where you fit in, this call can help you figure it out. Call in and talk with me, in person, for an hour on September 5, 2014 at  7 pm in Frankfurt, 1 pm in New York, 10 am in Los Angeles. It's free.

I'll be doing my third coach training in Frankfurt, starting November 15, 2014.  That's just a few weeks from now. It will include 5 face-to-face weekends, and online assignments. You'll be working with test clients almost from the beginning.

I'll see you there.

Tonight's conference calls: Ever wonder if you'd be a good life coach?

Friday! Already?

Getting ready for the first Q &A conference calls (tonight!) regarding life coaching. (It's been full for days so I won't give you a link -- but if you're on my mailing list and were away for the holiday weekend, *open the latest newsletters in your inbox!*). I planned one call, expected 30 or 40 people, but so far got almost 300 so I'll be doing three - and turning a lot of people away. I hope this means that lots of people really want to be life coaches. Because, boy, does the world need you.

When you *want* to be a life coach, that almost always means you're a natural, and that you've been doing life coaching informally for a long time. All you need is some good tools, and some realistic, humane methods for marketing - not the ones that include formidably perfect web sites (or any websites at all!)  or walking up to people at parties and saying, "Hello. I'd like to be your coach." 
 (Choke!) 

Good coaches have high empathy levels - they can't hustle! Fortunately there are lots of better ways to get clients. I've had to develop them for myself through the years, and they work. My methods got high praise from a businessman attending last year's coach training at the Frankfurter Ring in Germany: he called them 'brilliant new strategies for passive marketing'

A good coach is so important. If we all had coaches, we'd stop fussing about how we procrastinate or fear to take important steps or get stopped and don't start again. With a good coach standing by, we'd slowly, steadily put our gifts to work. We'd quit being mad at ourselves and fearing the passage of time. We'd have one of the best tools ever devised for overcoming almost every kind of Resistance.

Yes, I'm a believer.

I will give you the link to my last coach training. I'm retiring from face-to-face trainings and going back to writing. So grab it while you can. November 14, 2014 is your last chance. 

http://www.frankfurter-ring.de/index.php?id=197&kid=10454  (English)

http://www.frankfurter-ring.de/index.php?id=6&kid=10454  (German)