“35-45 Minutes Assembly”

“30-45 minutes assembly”.   That should have been my first clue.

Since we all have more time at home right now, I decided to get rid of the old, wood fire pit, and replace it with a new, gas version.  I ordered it, and it arrived wrapped & sealed at my front door.  After I wiped it all down, I opened it up and read the instructions that say 35-45 minute assembly. Perfect.

An hour later, I’m working on the third panel that goes on the side.

The first two went on perfectly – holes and screws all lined up. Took minutes.  The third panel, not so much.  The holes lined up and I started the first screw.  For some reason, it’s not as simple.  It looked the same as the last two, but something was wrong.

After about ten minutes of struggling, I decided to look back at the instructions and confirm I was using the right screw.  You know, the black one, which looks like all the other black ones?  Sure enough, this black screw was just a tad bigger, and didn’t properly fit in the hole.

I made the adjustment and the third panel went together easily.

And it hit me.  Isn’t that how we are with our lives too?

We keep trying to fix the problems in our lives by trying to solve them the same way over and over, so we keep getting the same results.

Or we get frustrated that we should treat our spouse better, be kinder, more loving, and compassionate, even though we’re still the same person we’ve always been.

If we don’t change, nothing changes.

So how do we really change?

Real change occurs when we confront our beliefs.  We ask ourselves better questions like why we feel so insecure, or why we are so judgmental of others.  Why aren’t we achieving the success that we want to achieve, or thriving in our marriage, or our relationship with our kids.

So what is the secret that will help us confront our beliefs and become the authentic person that we desire to be?

The secret for me was coaching.  It allowed me to see myself in a whole new way.  To challenge my thinking, my actions, and my beliefs and to begin to allow me to see real change for the first time in my life.

Call it life-coaching, success coaching, or just coaching, when done right, it not only works, but it will change your life.  It did mine.  Think about it.