I’m amazed at just how many life coaches exist who are not even 40 years old.

At first glance you might chuckle and say something typical like: “How much life does a 24 year old really know?”

Now if you are in your 40’s, 50’s, 60’s or older then many of the lessons of a 24 or a 30 year old would be something well-lived in your life.  BUT NOT ALWAYS.

Personally, I love the fact that people are defining themselves as “life coaches.” I believe we can warm our hands to everyone’s fire and even if the bandwidth of experience of a young person is less than an older person, there is much to be gained from learning from our youth.

In Scripture, Timothy is admonished by Paul to “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” (1 Timothy 4:12)

But my favorite example is that of Elihu in the book of Job. Job’s friends were not helping Job with there advice during his time of great trial. Elihu hangs back and then when they are all done, he rips off a couple of chapters where he essentially hands them their butts in a sling. (Job 32). He possessed more wisdom and clarity than the aged and the learned. We see this everywhere today. So maybe we need to listen to a few 25 year old life coaches.

The big issue here is this:

Are you coachable?

For most people over 40, the answer is “No.” And that is an issue of pride and it is terribly foolish. It stems from an assumption that a person knows better than someone else how to make progress in their own life. That assumption can be disastrous.

Here is your test.

1. On a scale of 1-10, how valuable is coaching in the life of people?

a.  If you rated 6 or higher then there is hope for you.

b.  If you rated below 6 then you likely have the “I know it all syndrome.”

2.  For those who rated coaching above a 6, how much did you personally spend on coaching this year?

a.   If you answered $0, then you really do not value coaching but you convinced yourself that you do.

b.   If you began redefining the term coaching to include books, blogs, and articles or even sermons that help you, then you get partial credit. But remember while this is a good start, you will grow even more if you have a few good coaching programs.

Personally, the rule of thumb that I employ is to allocate at least 1% of my annual income to coaching. This allows the young who don’t have a lot of economic power to get help from young peers who can help them advance in their progress. As that income goes up, they need better and better coaches to get them into the highest levels of performance and well-being.

It’s important to be coached.  Being a great leader begins with being a great follower.  Every master not only started as a student but continues to be a student of their craft.  In return, I coach many people in various stages of their lives and in various ways.  Many of them are coaching others.  See how this works?  It’s a system of people building each other up. Liberating each other, and being students of each other and of live.

For those of you who are faithful students (learners) let me just throw one word into the pile to put this in perspective.

Student is another word for disciple.

If you would like to explore coaching more, please let me know.  http://www.repotnow.com