IKEA and coaching

Have you ever had the pleasure of putting together IKEA furniture? Of course you have. It is ubiquitous. It is a company valued at 13.5 Billion Dollars.

IKEA has created a brand that gives you value by taking out a significant cost: labor. By shifting that cost to you, the consumer, they can make a profit and you can get high design furniture at budget prices. Win-win.

IKEA's job doesn't end there, though. They must also provide you the roadmap to take all of those pieces and put them together to make it whole. Not only that, it has to be done in a way that translates over 47 different countries and 30+ languages. That's no easy task.

Nearly everyone complains about IKEA directions but nearly everyone gets the job done. And they keep going back. It might seem like you are missing something but all the pieces are there. You just have to put a little thought and creativity into it. You have to make it your own.

Nutrition and fitness coaching are a lot like that. Everyone wants the explicit directions. The meal plans, the timing, the supplements they should take. Hell, most would probably prefer the workouts done for them as well. Those things might help you get the job done a little quicker but it won't help you to get better at the task.

By giving you a framework and allowing you, the client, to have some autonomy, your Coach is coaching. Allowing you to become your own coach. Because, unless you have the money to hire a shadow, you will be on your own through much of this process; you will have to coach yourself.

When you get stuck, we are here as those IKEA instructions are. We might not tell you exactly what to do but we will give you a pretty well drawn picture. It is just up to you to match up the image and real life.

And if you have a few pieces left after, those are just the extras. You know, just in case. At least that's what I keep telling myself.