“Those who are told forget. Those who are taught remember. Those who are involved learn.”
— Xunzi, Confucian philosopher (falsely attributed to Ben Franklin)

Folks who come to me for coaching aren’t much different from cats stuck in trees.

They…

1. Don’t like where they are now.
2. Would rather be in a better place.
3. Don’t see how it’s possible to get there.

Cats wait to be saved from their problem, and it’s adorable.

For humans? Not so much.

Because unlike cats, humans have tools available to them for overcoming life’s problems—even if it’s an awkward 911 call about being stuck in a tall tree and needing help getting down.

The difference between a successful coaching client and one who flames out in a few weeks comes down to whether the client chooses to be a helpless cat or a human.

After all, coaching is a partnership, no different from working with a personal trainer.

A fitness instructor can teach you new routines, perfect familiar ones, and most importantly, push you to achieve more than you thought possible.

But nobody can do the exercise—the actual work—for you.

Whatever problem you’re having trouble finding your way down from—severe work burnout, a stale love life, ineffective time-management—my role as a coach is to provide the sturdiest ladder.

Your role is to climb down.