217. Compassionate Teacher Coaches Clients in the “Senses of the Soul”

In his early 20s, the young man later known as GuruMeher reflected back to “this thing I experienced at eight years old, looking for ways to find peace and happiness within myself. I started Zen Buddhism, and then the philosophies of yoga, so I was sort of like a modern-day wandering ascetic, living very happily in the woods. I was studying, sometimes, ancient teachings and learning to meditate. This was back in the mid- to late-1970s, so it wasn’t like yoga was ‘a thing.’ I spent this time looking inside. I was enjoying my life but still struggling with the questions ‘Who am I and what do I want to do?’”

After years of practicing yoga, living a yogic life in an ashram, studying, meditating and learning, GuruMeher was also holding down a successful job in marketing. The concept of life coaching arrived. He pursued it and quickly realized, with the same passion that led him to yoga, that coaching was his calling. Ready to drop his day job at once and pursue coaching, his wife played a crucial role. “Not unless you can make the same amount of money,” she said. “She was basically saying, ‘No, you can’t, you’ve got to be responsible,’” GuruMeher recalled. About one year later he replaced his marketing income and went into coaching full time.

“My wife’s challenge really served me well. I thought I wanted to quit tomorrow and start coaching. It delayed my transition as I built my practice and my skills, and raised my part-time income until I could step off.” The fact that he had to make money if he wanted to follow his heart probably accounts for his success while a high percentage of coaches do not earn a living in the field, he said.

1. Follow your passion, but find a way to develop self-discipline.

2. Commit yourself to the pursuit of your passion for a specific amount of time. Approach it as an experiment in your life.

3. Find a coach, a teacher or mentor to help you on your path.