What Do You Do?

I started my day at the tire shop buying new tires (not so fun). When I went out to the car with the technician for him to inspect the old tires, he struck up a conversation with me.

He asked me, “So what do you do?”

I replied, “I am a Professional Life Coach.”

I could see him thinking about that before he posed his next question, “How did you get into that line of work?”

I told him my husband and I both worked with a life coach a few years back which led to us rediscovering our dreams and realigning to our values. By focusing on what is most important to us, we uprooted our family and moved to the mountains. I told him how that was so incredibly life changing for us we wanted to bring that same opportunity to other people.

I could tell he was taking this all in. Then he asked me, “So what is your best piece of advice?”

I told him I don’t really give advice but I can tell him this: I believe every person, deep down, knows exactly what they want. Each of us already has everything we need and all of the answers to go after whatever it is we want. We know what it is and we know how to get it.

We walked back into the tire shop together and I could see he was rolling this around. He told me he believes what I am saying.

When we got back to the counter inside, he spoke low when he told me, he does know what he wants, and he feels like he is making sacrifices, but something or someone always seems to get in the way. He ends up not feeling sure what is the best thing to do.

I went on to tell him it comes down to values. What is your top value? How can you honor that value?

I told him how for us, we discovered our top value is family. We started basing all of our decisions on having the most time with each other. I told him how we left full-time work in the ‘burbs and traded it in for part-time work in the mountains. I shared how everything we do is about honoring our top value of pouring into our family.

He looked at me, shook his head, then he started typing on his computer again, and I could hear him say lowly from behind the counter, “I needed you today.”

This.

This is the reason I wanted to become a life coach. This is my calling.

To be honest, I have been working with people my entire life, wanting to fill their cups, wanting to leave each person a little better than I found them. Life coaching has opened that door wider than I could have ever imagined.

I am grateful to be led to this place in my life. I am grateful to be led to this young man today at the tire shop. He followed his intuition to ask questions, so I have no doubt he will find what he is looking for. Life sure is full of beautiful surprises.