In Pirkei Avot (Ethics of Our Fathers) it states, “Accept a teacher upon yourself.” The Rabbis are instructing us not to assume that we can do it all, but to accept a person for yourself who can properly guide you. This puts the responsibility on the individual to find a person willing to work with them and help them according to their needs. As one needs to make sure that one’s investment advisor is working for one’s best interests, so too must one ensure oneself that one’s confidant/confidante, teacher, or professional coach is working to help you make yourself the best you that you can be.
Life coaching is a beautiful thing. It is a way to help others help themselves. Many people get into a rut and can’t seem to extricate themselves from the situation. Enter the life coach—an individual who listens to the client and tries to steer them in a direction which will be helpful and productive. The coach knows that lasting change will only happen if the client not only agrees with a new path, when necessary, but can best work when the client is the one to “discover” the methodology on their own with help encouraging assistance from the guide. Should that happen, the odds are that the change will be long-lasting.
Another thing that the coach may do is to help the client uncover underlying reasons for negative behavior patterns that could be holding a person back from living their best life. Without uncovering possible triggers, real problems may not be addressed. They can remain below the surface, causing damage to a person’s life. On the other hand, if a person can be helped to recognize issues that lie beneath the surface, when a methodology is created and practiced dealing with that trigger, the odds are increased that the individual will be able to conquer negative impulses and behavior. It is all about moving forward.
A life coach is not an MD, so they will not be able to prescribe drugs, making coaching an all-natural way to deal with one’s problems. Should drugs or some other intervention be necessary, the coach will advise the client to seek certified medical help. Coaching is structured to last for a brief period of time, depending on the problems that need to be addressed. While there may be multiple things that need to be worked on, the coach will normally work on one specific thing at a time. Success is built on a series of small victories.
If you think you could be helped by being life-coached, Jewish Famiy Services offers life coaching services. Additionally, we also have many in our area outside the Federation who would be happy to speak with you. The first step, namely recognizing that one could use guidance, is always the hardest. But once you take it, great things can happen.
Looking forward to connecting with you.
Rabbi Fred Nebel
Director of Jewish Family Services
rabbinebel@thejewishfed.org
(574) 233-1164 x1806