I find it interesting with the process of becoming a life coach is completely different to what gets marketed by schools and other sales pitches for coaching programs (i.e. how to have an unlimited source of clients in 30 or 60 days or whatever. . .)

In my experience, becoming a life coach it's more of a stop and go sort of process where you make a ton of mistakes, while learning more and more about yourself and becoming more and more effective with working with people. It's a process that has turned me completely inside out, having to confront my biggest fears around survival or being a loser/failure, having me become and live more aware and present in life, as well as cultivate my relationship and trust with my intuition and training my mind to see what's good about life and what to be grateful for even when I don't want to or think something is impossible or feeling like crap. The growth and who I've gotten to become in the process has been phenomenal, profound, and spectacular. . .It's also made me way more useful to the people who I work with and to be able to relate with so much more of what they go through (as well as how to dismantle these fears).

What if it took you 10, 15, or 20 years to build up a fully sustainable life coaching practice where you never had to market again and you always had "enough" clients and money coming in to support you the rest of your life, where you had a deep sense of peace around money and trusting that the Universe always takes care of you. Would that be a worthwhile goal to have and would you still do it - or would you want the flashy business model with the big coaching practice, doing the Tony Robbins thing, or the Costa Rica retreat where you'd only be happy with millions in the bank and you had to have that all right now?

I suspect less people would be attracted to coaching if there weren't the sales pitches for making 100s of thousands or millions as a coach (and nothing wrong with that). . .and that's not to say there aren't people who have a lot that's coming in. . .but it's just not the reality or the experience of the overwhelming vast majority of people looking to become coaches - where it's more of a circuitous path with lots of starts and stops and ups and downs, tons of failures and disappointments, while things getting better and better all the time (and making a greater and greater difference for clients)

I look at my path to getting where I am where I haven't had to work in a full time job for years. . .prior to that, I think I've quit jobs, tried to start a business, failed, and gone back to working as an employee about 4-5 times. . .each time getting a little further until about 8 years ago, I didn't have to do that and enough money came in to support being in business full time. . .but the learning didn't stop there and it's not like there's a final destination. . .still having to pull a rabbit out of a hat and 11th hour sort of miracles. . .

Right now I'm in the midst of a project that looks impossible and I tried to escape and avoid doing it for years it looked so confronting - which is making the transition to living in a conscious community in another country and having to reinvent myself and my business model doing something way out of my comfort zone. A crazy thing to take on, and I'm in the middle of it now trying to keep my head above water but I feel really "alive" and life has become an adventure once again.

If I got truthful about it - the business model I before had ceased to become fulfilling and in my heart, money had been working but I could see I had to reinvent myself and couldn't keep on going as I had been going.

The move has brought up a new level of fear and having to train my mind to be grateful and see what's good in the face of something that looks impossible with all sorts of doubts in my mind and doubts from people all around me.

And witnessing the miracles in this . . .like getting a live speaking engagement for 1000 - 2000 people, and new opportunities I never even dreamed of.

I think so many think "I'll only be happy, when I have a big business with tons of money coming in from coaching clients - so much money that I don't have to worry or think about money." Of course, it doesn't work like that and even if you had tons of money and lots of clients, there would be a whole other set of problems and challenges you wouldn't like either.

But what if the real value of becoming a coach had much more to do with who you get to become from all this. . .the qualities, peace of mind, connection with your heart / intuition, a deeper sense of fulfillment in life and of course - the opportunity to make a profound difference with others. . .just a thought. . .and perhaps this message doesn't have the same "marketing appeal" as the get-rich quick scheme or the financial promises of many life-coaching schools (which are all good - as maybe that's what it needs for someone to get into coaching in the first place).

Perhaps a reminder to enjoy and celebrate the journey now wherever you're at in the process of becoming a coach.