Life Coach or Mentor

Life coach or mentor? What is the difference and do I need one? My mother has always been my mentor and when I hear people say that every women needs a mentor, (I have said those words myself) I wonder if they had a mother. Isn't that the mothers job to be a mentor? My mother showed me how to be a wife (mom and dad had a passion for each other that was so obvious), raise a family (she was a mother of 6), a business woman (my father would tell you if it weren't for her money management, they would not have had a very successful business), and she made sure I knew how to can and freeze the harvest from the garden my father tended. She is my mentor. I want no other.

Yet, my mother was not one to read the Bible or tell you stories of life. She lives her life in the moment looking toward the future. Even at 76, she engages in world events and watches CNBC every day. So I was surprised today when she called and told me she read the book I had given her months ago; 90 Minutes in Heaven. My mother is an avid reader but Christian novels never interested her and the Bibles my sisters and I have given her throughout the years still have pages stuck together as they have never been turned. She did read and loved the series "the Mark of the Lion" by Francine Rivers and "The Shack" by William P. Young. Those were the only two authors that excited her enough that she called me to see if she could pass the books to one of my siblings. That is until "90 Minutes in Heaven".

But as far as a life coach, my mom helped as much as she could; but I needed someone to help me make career choices and a plan of attack. I don't remember ever having a school counselor in the small Catholic school I attended and I didn't take advantage of the counselor at OU-L. If I had maybe I would have attended college more than one year. But now I want to expand my horizons and I have a friend that is great at pulling out my desires and wishes and putting them in an organized form and helps me with an action plan to accomplish my goals.

My husband is a fantastic life coach for our sons that are in business because he has been a manager for over 30 years. He lights up when they ask him for advice and I find myself just beaming with pride. His insight into how to handle HR problems, including firing people (ouch!) and giving performance reviews that propel the employees to do better and not to make them bitter, are qualities that some managers need to learn.

The trend right now for the over 50 gang, is to reinvent themselves and one way they get on the right path is choosing the right life coach. Of course to me the best life coach is Jesus Christ and I know when I seek Him first all else falls right in line!