The Power of Transformation

When Coaching Can Change Your Writing Life

Today with my coaching pals we were discussing what we do, and our mentor Jennie Nash pointed out that the writers we coach often have goals that are…aspirational, to say the least.

I knew what she was talking about because these were, once upon a time, my goals.

• To land an agent.

• To be published.

• To win awards.

• To make a living as a writer.

Truth is, I have accomplished the first three, but not the fourth. I know a lot of writers who have made it to maybe the first, possibly the second, never the third, and I know very, very few authors who make a living wage.

Since I know from personal experience how hard it is to attain these goals, I know I cannot promise anyone will ever achieve them, no matter who coaches them. Not even me.

Instead, Jennie encouraged us to think less about transaction (which is really what these goals are about) and more about transformation.

What does transformation look like?

I’m going to take a clue in that regard from a different coach: Ted Lasso.

(For those of you who have been living on the moon for the past couple of years, Ted Lasso is a TV icon, an American football coach hired to coach a beleaguered English soccer team. I love the show.)

Coach Lasso isn’t all about winning. In fact, what might be his defining characteristic is his desire to transform this disparate group of young men who hail from all over the world into a cohesive group of players who support one another, whether they win or lose. He preaches a doctrine of transformation.

What do you want to do as a writer, really? Take away the transactional goals and look at your dreams through the lens of transformation and I would suggest:

• You want to make an impact on the world

• You want to be heard

• You want to fulfill the dream of writing a novel

• You want to feel confident as a writer

• You want to be knowledgeable about the publishing industry

• You want to belong to the world community of writers

Those are things that a good book coach can help you with.

If you want to write, I encourage you to find your own Ted Lasso. Seek that transformation. And then if the other good stuff comes your way, it’s just icing on an already delicious cake.