Last year at this time, I had taken classes to become a life
coach. I worked about half of 2015 on finding my niche, and trying to figure
out a way to attract clients to my “office.” I got frustrated trying to build
my own website and start a Facebook page. Things just weren’t coming together,
and I partially blamed it on knowing little about how to run a business or be
an entrepreneur.
Also, I had no idea how to market my work. That was further
complicated by not really knowing whom I wanted to serve. My interests are many
and varied, and I personally felt as though I could coach anybody who came my
way. However, all the marketing people I spoke with told me how deadly that
approach was. Since I ended the year having coached only a handful of people, I
guess they were right about that.
One day, an idea dropped out of the sky into my overwhelmed
brain. I was spending way too much on learning the technical aspects of a
business when I should have been out meeting and interacting with people. Life
coaching is a people business. Similar to my beliefs about teaching school, I
don’t believe it can be run as a business. I have no interest in building up a
huge clientele that requires a special office with extra people to keep the
books, order supplies, or run advertising campaigns. I simply have a genuine
interest in helping people discover and use their highest potential. All that
is required to run that “business” is me.
Don’t get me wrong, I am aware that there are bookkeeping
needs as well as contact tracking and some marketing stuff. I just choose not
be overwhelmed by the “business” aspect and to focus my attention on making
connections. To that end, I will be helped by TEAM, the Networking Referral
group I joined this fall.
Once I listened to that message (something I refer to as the
touch of grace) about connecting with people, amazing things started to happen.
In November, I met Becky Wilbur at a business conference. When I asked her what
she did, her answer was, “I spread happiness.” Fascinated, I asked her to tell
me more.
Becky introduced me to Gretchen Rubin’s book, The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a
Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read
Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun. I ordered the book from Amazon
right away. Shortly thereafter while sitting down to eat lunch, I tuned to the
DVR recordings of Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday. Guess who was being interviewed.
That’s right, Gretchen Rubin. A second touch of grace.
As soon as The
Happiness Project arrived in the mail,
I sat down to read it and knew immediately that I had found my calling. I
am, after all, a teacher. The thought of teaching happiness fills my heart with
joy.
I received the third touch of grace while enjoying lunch
with some friends in early December. I told Shirley Wible, from whom I took a
poetry workshop and now consider a friend, about my desire to teach The Happiness Project. Shirley is in
charge of adult programming at the Sun City Library in Menifee. Excited about
my project, she found an open slot for me to hold a monthly three-hour workshop
at the library.
Things were falling into place. I felt as though this was
truly meant to be. Even as I write those words, I smile. Becky calls herself
the “Happiness Whisperer”. I love that, and I can attest to the fact that the
title suits her. I explored names for myself as well and doing a Google search
realized that many of them were already taken. I really liked the idea of
sparking or igniting joy and finally settled on the “Happiness Igniter.” People
who know me say it fits my personality. I think it does too, and I am now
joining my new friend Becky in the work of spreading happiness.
My friends, I invite you to follow along with me in 2016. I
plan to write about my experiences not only with my own happiness project but
also to share some insights from my workshop participants. I will offer words
of inspiration found in happiness research as well as pains and joys I
encounter along this journey. I am looking forward to interacting with you as
you contemplate happiness this year.
Bev Siddons, Happiness
Igniter
Certified Career and Life Coach
