Life purpose coaching

Picking up the phone to talk to your very own “Life Purpose Coach” may strike some of my fellow Internet travellers as quite a strange thing to do. “What kind of ‘New age voodoo’ is that?” I can hear some old-timer say.

Can’t say that I blame you. When I first hear about this type of coaching I was both intrigued and skeptical. Is this some sort of money-making racket? I wondered. But then again, wouldn’t it be nice to move ahead in my own life with more of a sense of clarity and focus and direction. What’s next…hiring a Grocery Shopping Coach, etc? I mused. But here I am…wandering in the wilderness, so to speak; might be a good idea to look into this a little more and get in touch with a real live Life Purpose Coach.

So I did. And this is what I discovered:

Life Purpose Coaching got started in the same part of the world (California, USA), and in the same Christian community (Saddleback Community Church) that is known, among other things, for being the launching pad for the book The Purpose Driven Life. That is right, Dr. Katie Brazelton and Pastor Rick Warren worked together in the same church.

While I do not know all the details, in 1988 Katie had a dream to set up counselling centers all over the world that would inspire women in particular to aspire to fulfill their God-given purpose. Her book (actually one of her many books) Pathways to Purpose for Women: Connecting Your To-Do List, Your Passions, and God’s Purpose for Your Life was a hit.

Life Purpose Coaching International began to take shape, and before long a parallel emphasis on coaching men was established. Judging from the comparatively small number of male coaches listed on the website, this type of coaching tends to appeal more to women at the present time. But that could change. If could be that men just like to wander around a little bit longer, wandering here and there and everywhere, before they swallow their pride and stop to ask for directions. Just a thought.

Life Purpose Coaching, I discovered, comes in two common formats. Ten 1.5 hour sessions on the phone, together with 1 hour or so of homework prior to the session is the first option. The person I talked to charges $75 (Canadian)/session. But it is also possible to pack this entire program into a 2-day retreat type format. Of course, you would need to live close to your chosen Life Purpose Coach if you want to go with the second option.

Could this type of coaching help you make progress in your life? Would the cost, looking back, be money that was very well spent. I don’t know; I am not sure. You will have to look into it a little more, if you are interested, and answer these questions for yourself.

But I thought that it couldn’t hurt to bring this to your attention, as yet another possibility to consider as you seek to identify, clarify, and actively pursue your particular career and life direction.