Larry Hochman

Maybe both.

Reject the programming.

If you hate what you’re doing, do something else.

Or find a way to do it better, or at least differently.

Find some meaning in it. Find the parts where what you do provides value to others, even if you never get to see it.

And if you’re doing something to earn money and take care of your responsibilities, but you’re building something else you’d rather be doing full time…

Be grateful.

Be grateful for the chance to do both. Be grateful for your capacity for hard work.

Be grateful for the fact that you’re learning new stuff.

Be grateful for the contrast between what you want and what you’re doing. Let the contrast inspire and motivate you.

Thank God It’s Friday is fine. Just find a way to make it because you appreciate all the parts of your life, not just the end of the week.

Your Words have the power to make someone’s world totally different than it is right now.

I received a lesson in that back in 1996. And that lesson is just as powerful today as it was 21 years ago.

It certainly is for me. And maybe it is for Jason as well.

If you’re going to build a true following…

If you’re going to inspire people…

If you’re going to make people ask,

“Hey, when is (insert your name)’s next note going to come out?

You have to be different from what everyone else is doing.

Your stuff has to look different. It has to feel different. It has to be different.

YOU have to be different.

And yes, there are certain things you should do that everyone else in your space is doing.

There is correct marketing and incorrect marketing.

There is correct branding and incorrect branding. There is correct sequencing and incorrect sequencing.

And if you do what everyone who does it correctly and being successful is doing, you will get successful yourself.

But if you look and sound like everyone else, what sets you apart?

And what kind of satisfaction are you getting from your operation?

In a digital medium, it usually comes back to your words.

We respond to pictures, and to sounds.

And if you’ve got good ones, by all means, use them.

But we are human beings. We are thinkers.

We really respond to the world around through symbols.

Through language.

Through words.

Your words.

The images they evoke.

The stories they tell, and the ability of the listener to place themselves in the middle of that story.

To become inspired to go places with you.

To earn respect, admiration and trust. Even love.

Practice the gift you’ve been given.

Live in ways that make the words more profound and authentic.

And create something profound and beautiful. For yourself, and for others.

I asked people on Facebook who their favorite teacher was.

It was a fun question, because it brought back great memories for a lot of people. And they weren’t shy about telling everyone.

Take a look at some of the answers I got.

*** ***

My 5th grade teacher Ms. Eckman. She was tough and had high expectations. She had total control of the classroom and even though she wasn’t the nicest teacher when in her class, many of her former students came to appreciate how much she invested in us in our later years and visited her. It was then we realized just how much she loved us and how kind she was.

Mrs. Misehiemer She took time out with me when I didn’t understand and realized that I needed special help.

I loved Mr. Marola. I struggled so much with math and he took the time to help me.

Mrs Venturi, my sixth grade science teacher. She had my back from day one. She was my advocate, biggest supporter and friend. She was even at my wedding. The world lost a beautiful person when she passed away.

So so many, but Mrs. Ozga shaped my future for sure.

Mr. Bund was my favorite teacher. After some rough years in elementary school when I felt like an outcast, he made me feel smart, relevant and welcome. Thank you, sir!

Mrs. Luximon my teacher for Hinduism. She was very kind and I loved her technique of inclusion of each classmate. 20 years later and I still carry wonderful memories of my two years of schooling with her. There was also Mrs. Roy for French Literature. She was the only one who honoured and helped refine my analytical skills thereby developing my passion for languages and at a later stage the career I would embrace in Psychology … In that sense I must also make a special mention of my own father who was a Mathematics teacher that made the subject simply magical under his explanations.

I had a couple that believed in me, I’ve also had my fair share of ones that told me I would never amount to anything. It’s funny, as an adult, how certain things stick in your head, I distinctly remember the ones that meant a lot and those that tried to push me down.

Mrs. Hyde & Mr. Higgins. Both had really high expectations of me. Made me push myself to be a better student and woman!

Mrs. Owens, second grade teacher. She allowed me to take on projects that were appropriate for my level of capability. She was so encouraging and affirming. Would always hug me. I needed that emotional interaction. It meant the world to me. I wasn’t feeling so loved at that time in my life.

Mr Lysek. He was hard on us and wanted us to learn to want more from ourselves.

Mrs Yuhas my English teacher in 8th she told me “Your first thought is always your best” I have found that to be true.

*** ***

So who was your favorite teacher?

Coming soon: how knowing about your favorite teacher can help you get better at whatever is important to you now.

There are a few reasons why people hate coaches.

They charge too much. Or they don’t deliver what they say they will.

I think there is one main reason was why people hate coaches. And that’s too bad, because coaching can really be effective.

I was messaging with a friend who mentioned he had an “online coach” who said a possible reason for his lack of confidence was…

Elevated estrogen levels.

I asked if this coach was a doctor or had seen blood work that might show something that suggested a hormone imbalance. The answer: “No, but he’s really powerful and smart, like you.”

Sigh…

If you’re going to present yourself as a professional, you have to behave like one. It’s one thing to make mistakes as part of your regular practice. Everyone does that. It’s another to talk out of your ass about stuff you aren’t qualified to talk about.

This is why people hate “coaches.”

No standards.
No professionalism.
No accountability.

If you’re a coach, don’t pretend to know what you don’t know.

And don’t say things to people that move them away from trusting their own ability to fix their lives.

Your charge is to empower other people. Not to make people dependent on your help. And not to make yourself feel more important by having a cult following.

And by the way, I completely believe in counseling and coaching as a profession. I’ve been in both for all of the 21st century. When done right, coaching can help someone unravel the tough parts of their life and succeed in ways they never have before.

If you’re looking for a coach, find someone who knows how to listen.

Find someone who asks questions and doesn’t look for a “one size fits all” answer.

Find someone who doesn’t tell you they’ll magically fix all your problems.

Find someone who trusts in your ability to be successful, prosperous and independent.