Hey there Coach!

Perhaps I'm in the wrong business.  It seems lately people keep asking me for relationship advice, and to them it sounds good and it even works! (For the most part...)  Maybe I should start charging!

I find it funny (ironic funny, and a little 'ha ha' funny) whom people ask for relationship advice.  Now, don't get me wrong, even after one failed long term and a failed marriage I think I give pretty good advice!  Then again I think I have some life experience which others can benefit from.  You know, why reinvent the wheel right?

That reminds me of something that baffles me.  It seems that a new career trend lately is 'coach'.  There are life coaches, relationship coaches, retirement coaches, business coaches, professional coaches, business coaches....and the list goes on.  Not to discredit those that work long and hard at this profession, and there are some (even I am a certified Neuro-Linguistic Practitioner! well I have the certificate anyhow), but those who just pop out of college or university and deem themselves life coaches?  Really?  I would like to think that any coach I rely on for life altering advice and direction, or listen to,  has had least had *some* experience in that particular discipline or arena.  I think it takes more than reading from a book, or going through mind exercises to deem yourself qualified as a 'coach'.

So, back to my relationship advice.  And, as I mentioned I do believe I have the life experience that qualifies me to provide this!  (And it's my blog, so as far as I'm concerned I'm qualified to do/write whatever the heck I darn well please!)  Relationships are like pendulums or metronomes (not to be confused with urban garden gnomes as my coworkers tell me...).  Sometimes you can get the beat right off the bat, but for the most part it takes a couple swings to get it right.  The first time you swing way off to one side and although it seems OK, you'll soon realize it's all wrong.  The second time, knowing you didn' tlike the way it swung the first time, you'll go far to the opposite direction.  Again, it sounds OK for a little while, but you soon realize there has to be a better tune.  Only the third time, once you've experienced both extremes and know what you don't want (and more importantly what you do) can you find the right beat and the perfect song.