Building your house.

These past few weeks I’ve had many discussions about coaching, so I’ve decided to make an analogy as to why someone may need a coach and compare it to building a house. You stand looking out over your vacant lot with all of the materials and tools necessary to build your house. You know what a house should look like, and you envision how you want yours to look when it’s done. After a few days, maybe weeks, or even months of building on your own, things aren’t going exactly as planned. You have a roof, but it leaks, you have doors but they don’t close, you even have a bathroom, but no water. Wow, you’re in a jam now…or are you? You remember hearing about a contractor who can do all the things you’ve been struggling at, as long as you are willing to help with the labor. You quickly decide to make the call and get your house built right. The first thing the contractor wants you to work on is the foundation. It seems as though you poured the concrete a little too quick and not thick enough so it needs to corrected. Remember, this foundation will support your house for as many years as you live there and it needs to be strong, solid, and able to keep the house safe. If you don't start out and build a solid foundation, your training won't have much to build on. Next is the framing. You know how many rooms you want to have and how you want them laid out. This part is like putting a puzzle together and as each piece is out there it just needs to be fitted nicely with the one next to it. Every piece makes the corresponding one stronger and more steady. This is like your body exercises; they make you stronger as a whole and give added support to the entire system. So after your framing is up, it’s time to build some walls giving each room its own defined space and to separate each part of the house. Each room has as it’s own purpose and reason for being in the layout and every room is like a different type of training on the bike and they need to be separated so that things don’t go in the wrong parts of the house. Little Jack doesn’t want Jill’s dolls in his room. As each part of the building phase comes together you watch as your house is slowly becoming a home. You are filled with pride from all of your hard work and can’t wait to move in and start living there. You thank the contractor for helping with each phase of the construction and for the guidance to get you into your new home quicker and safer. The house will forever need upkeep, but since you started correctly from the beginning it will last a long time and you have also learned a lot along the way. Just remember the landscaping isn’t going to take care of itself and if let go for too long it becomes more work than it could have been with just some simple maintenance. So enjoy your new home and be happy living there.