Comments on: Finally! A magic solution for most problems

By: Tom Volkar / Delightful Work

Tom Volkar / Delightful Work — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 21:34:52 +0000

Ross, just for the record. You communicated well. I didn't think your post was anti-coach at all. The answers are within us, most of them anyway. One man benefit of coaching is the acceleration that happens because of the synergy and of the accountability. Best in 09 to you. Tom Volkar / Delightful Work’s last blog post..Parlay Your Wisdom

By: Carla

Carla — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 00:28:48 +0000

I can definitely relate to spending oodles of time reading and researching and not enough time actually "doing". Getting to knowledge isn't always the problem; applying it is. Carla’s last blog post..Green and Chic Blog | What is it?

By: Ross

Ross — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 00:22:26 +0000

@Alex – Reminds me of helping my daughter with her maths homework – “I don’t want to hear about how to do it, just give me the answer!” Quite impressed with your Naomi Dunford interview, I was checking it out yesterday..

@Arswino – Thanks mate Good to have your support on board.

By: Arswino

Arswino — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:59:02 +0000

Great article Ross. The attitude of depending one's life to the mercy or help from others is a wrong attitude. And Bunny, that is one of my favorite quote too. The quote is from George Bernard Shaw. Arswino’s last blog post..Bend, but Don’t Break

By: Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome

Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:44:45 +0000

That’s like so many of my English students – especially the non-adult ones – they just expect me to hand them the answer and they refuse to apply even a modicum of logic (e.g., they answer a “you” question with “you” instead of “I”).

It’s insanely frustrating, but it has helped me become more butt-kicking in my blog.

Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome’s last blog post..The First Step is Getting Off the Floor: Naomi Dunford Interview

By: Ross

Ross — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 03:21:56 +0000

@Viriya – Hi, I’m a rubik’s cube fanatic from back in my uni days! We had one at home when I was younger that I couldn’t solve, but I was inspired by a friend of mine at uni that could solve it pretty quickly, I don’t remember exactly how fast but it was under a minute. I spent hours and hours the next week learning the sequences for each stage, like you i used the ‘memorising patterns and sequences’ approach, until I was also able to solve it with some degree of speed. (about 1000 times slower than the professionals, though!)

You get a real sense of accomplishment when you can get someone to mix it thoroughly then solve it from any random position… It’s been years now, but makes me want to dig it out again! What a cool invention…

By: Ross

Ross — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 03:11:36 +0000

@Tom – Hi, thanks for visiting.. It wasn’t until I read your reply that I realised that this post could have come across as being “anti-coaches”… This wasn’t my intention at all, as business or life coaches can help steer people in the right direction and get focused on goals.

My intention in this post was rather to encourage people to work hard, and remember to look for answers themselves rather than automatically relying on others for answers in life.

Thanks for adding your personal experiences with coaches / consultants also. As this field expands further, it’s important to hear feedback from people like yourself so that we don’t get snared by snake oil salesman! Have a great week.

By: Viriya

Viriya — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 03:11:02 +0000

You have said it all Ross. Excellent article. I just want to add one more thing in this. Inspired by the Rubik's cube photo up there, I just learnt last week how to solve the Rubik's cube in less than a couple of minutes. People (who did not know) believed that it must have been very logical and need to look at it until the moment of truth came to you; then you can solve it. It might be true but for me, solving the Rubik's cube is a hard work of 1) Memorising 2) Repetition 3) Persistence. You don't need to be a genius but you need a good brain to memorise all the algorithms and repeat them over and over and over. And look at it again and do another algorithm over and over and over. When I screw up the cube, I start all over again. Yes, the magic solution is hard work even for the thing that looks highly intellectual as the Rubik's cube. Viriya’s last blog post..The Two Most Common Communication Pitfalls

By: Tom Volkar / Delightful Work

Tom Volkar / Delightful Work — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 02:41:21 +0000

Being a business coach myself, I can attest that yes, some folks already do know the answers they seek. However others, myself included, sometimes know that they will accomplish more by paying a coach to hold them accountable. A coach is a tool and just like any other tool, when used in the right way, anything can be built well, including a business or a life. One caution, there are many folks out there selling what is essentially consulting and they call themselves coaches. Just charging someone else for the methods that got you where you are can be a total waste of time for the client. A real coach digs into the issues and needs that are most pressing for each client and helps craft a customized solution. I'll check out Naomi's post, she's generally spot on. Tom Volkar / Delightful Work’s last blog post..Five Tools to Sharpen Your Authentic Edge

By: Ross

Ross — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 01:12:43 +0000

@Mike – hi there, oddly enough I’d have to agree! Nothing like mixing a bit of sarcasm with a bit of home truths!

@Bunny – Expanding horizons is a good way to put it. Instead of waiting for the answer to drop into our lap, we need to work harder, expand our horizons. Thanks for the quote, also!