Trusted Advisor to People-of-Accomplishment and Family Enterprise
Most people seek counseling or coaching to either resolve a crisis or to solve problems that had proven resistant to previous efforts to do so. In my experience, few people choose to move beyond problem solving to engage in what I call “life enhancement.”
Life enhancement, as I define it and have practiced it for decades, is a combination of raising awareness, improving engagement skills, life planning, and implementing strategic breakthroughs to achieve higher levels of creativity, accomplishment and fulfillment. Well beyond counseling and coaching, it is a journey through which individuals learn to identify, acknowledge and reach their highest potential and deepest fulfillment.
While crisis management, counseling and coaching all require specific skills on the part of the professional and willingness to change on the part of the client, life-enhancement work demands much more of both parties. The practitioner must have a broad base of knowledge, business know-how and life experience – together with sensitivity to cross-cultural dynamics – to be able to address the wide range of issues, possibilities and risk factors facing the client. At the same time, the client must have a deep desire and unfailing commitment to reach his/her highest potential in both personal and work-related matters.
Unlike crisis-driven counseling, issue-specific problem solving and supportive coaching, life-enhancement work can span a lifetime, although not necessarily continuously. If your only “problem” is that you haven’t yet reached your fullest potential or desired fulfillment, life-enhancement work is what you need and want both now and going forward. Finding someone who has the unique depth and range of skills required to assist you on this journey may take some time. However, it may be the best time investment in yourself you can make.