Coaching for a living

I've been thinking a lot about life coaching today, probably because yet another person asked me how I survive in the New York metropolitan area on just a coaching practice. Well, the answer is, "it's not easy."

Here's what I know. It's my calling. It's highly rewarding. My clients are doing inspiring things with their lives. It's a growing field. I am thankful every day that I saw an ad in The New York Times for a training program three years ago and followed through. Once most people try it, they thrive.

Here's what else I know. It's challenging to market myself because a lot of people don't understand the concept of coaching. A lot of people who need it and long for it cannot afford it. There are a lot of misconceptions about it, especially as it's portrayed in the media. There is an ebb and flow to getting and keeping clients and, therefore, an ebb and flow in cash flow.

This is all reality.

Here's even more that I know. Life coaching has added a dimension to my writing. It accounts for a good portion of the book I'm writing. It is the heart and soul of this blog. It will be the heart and soul of a column very soon. It lines up beautifully with my spiritual path.

Bottom line, I keep plugging away, confident that making ends meet or struggling altogether is just part of the journey to the next level. I see the upward trajectory, not always in my checking account but in my personal and professional growth. Those two things are inextricably linked. The financial trajectory is to follow. I am making it happen just the way I guide my clients -- baby steps, faith, action, persistence.

And at the very worst of times, I count on a friend to play me a song from a classic TV show over the phone, "You're gonna make it after all ..."

You've got to love him.