Why Coaching Matters: Unlock Your Full Potential and Step into Your True Calling

I heard an analogy recently that landed so fully for me. I want to share it because a.) it’s such a clear expression of something that's written on my heart, a piece of me that I want to share with you, and b.) it may speak to your heart in a similar but slightly different way, and call you forward, toward a greater version of yourself.

(Disclaimer: This is loose, entirely from memory, and I'm taking creative liberties. If you’d like to experience it first-hand, the metaphor came from a book I highly recommend: The Illusion of Money, by Kyle Cease. 10/10, would recommend.)

It goes something like this:

Imagine Michael Jordan, in his peak playing days, fell and hit is head, and when he woke up, discovered he had amnesia. He didn’t remember who he’d been, that he was a basketball player. As he recovered, he realized he had bills to pay so he looked on Indeed and found himself a job as a restaurant server.  

You, knowing his potential, go to visit him at his new job. You tell him, Michael, DUDE! You’re a star! You have a special talent. You’re a basketball player, man! You can realize your dream of playing basketball in the NBA, and make millions of dollars doing something you love!

This is how he responds:

Look man, that all sounds great, but that’s really easy for you to say. What are the odds of making it in the NBA? Like one in a million? I have real bills to pay right now, and people that rely on me. I can’t just go chasing dreams! And you know what? This job isn’t so bad. If I hang around another six months, they’re going to make me a shift leader, along with a big raise, and two holidays off every year. Next summer I’m going to be able to take vacation if I save up. Of course I don’t love this job, but no one loves their job! I’m just grateful to have a job!

Do you accept his response?

He’s right, no? He actually does have bills to pay and people to take care of. And although you know he can make it the NBA, he’s not wrong about it being a really lofty dream. How do you help him see that his future is bigger than what he’s settled for, and that the risk is entirely worth the reward?

THAT’S WHAT COACHING IS FOR ME.

That’s what coaching is about for me. God has gifted me with a special ability to see the potential in other humans, a passion for helping them see it, too, and the skills to help them connect to it and harness it.

I do hear and understand all the limiting stories and beliefs, stories that were inherited over the course of a lifetime, and I know they’re all feel quite real. But the promise of that buzzing, ever-present pure potential speaks to me so much louder than all the other noise. I believe that hearing that potential over all the other noise truly is a gift, and so, through coaching I am showing up for the calling to share that gift.

THAT’S WHAT COACHING CAN BE FOR YOU.

You are like Michael Jordan. You were put here on purpose, with special gifts, talents, and interests. There is a unique impact you’re called to make. You may, or may not, feel connected to it right now, but either way, it’s still there. It’s always still there, it never leaves you. You were made for the life that you feel called toward.

Yeah, I get it. You have real bills to pay and people that count on you. But do you remember how ridiculous of a reason that sounded like when it was Michael Jordan’s reason for being a server at a restaurant instead of a basketball player?

Don’t let the celebrity cloud the message. It’s not about the size of the platform. For you, the path may look more like teacher, janitor, Realtor, hair dresser, mortgage lender, nurse, coach, stay-at-home-mom, event planner. It may look like launching a business, as a side hustle, or with 7-figure-ambitions.

And, it’s also possible that for you the path may not seem clear yet. All you know if that you’re called toward leveling up, growing, being and doing more, serving in a greater way. You can answer that call, too. You can start exactly there.

I know showing up bigger and stepping into the more you desire can be a lot of things: hard, scary, intimidating, demanding, overwhelming, all.the.THINGS. So we’ll do it together. Because you have a calling to show up for, and my calling is to help you show up for yours. Together, we both rise. Together, we both change ourselves. Together, we both change the world. Together, we create a ripple effect outward, lifting everyone we come into contact with. Together, we can answer our unique callings.

You have unique gifts that are meant to be shared, and a unique impact you’re meant to make. Will you show up?