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I’m a business coach. You might not think intuition plays that big a role in what I do, but it does. Likewise, you might think there’s not much room for intuition in the practice of medicine, at least not these days.

I recently discovered that’s not always the case.

There’s a book I’d recommend to everyone out there … Happy For No Reason by Marci Shimoff. It’s chock full of life coaching lessons that inform every aspect of our lives.

I was re-reading it recently as part of my morning practice and came across this story that really touched my heart and made me cry.

Let that be fair warning.

It doesn’t get any sweeter, heartwarming or tear-jerking than this.

How do you take the measure of a person? What criteria do you use in your evaluation? One of the joys of being a life coach is you meet and work with so many different kinds of wonderful and truly impressive people.

What really impresses me is usually not so much the more superficial attributes, the God-given gifts, such as attractiveness, intelligence or certain special capabilities, although those can certainly be impressive.

I’m just more taken by people who decide to live their lives in a consistently positive way … especially by the choices they make when the true nature of their character is on the line.

For example, take the case of when someone needs your help and there’s absolutely nothing in it for you … except maybe some inconvenience, aggravation, or expense. Maybe even some safety risk.

It’s been a difficult year, riddled with uncertainty, unease, and unrest. As a life coach and business consultant, I’m painfully aware of the anxiety many of my clients are experiencing. And with the election around the corner, I’m concerned about the friction we all feel and its potential to tear families, communities, and our nation apart.

How can we expand our ability to listen to the other guy and allow people to be who they are and believe what they choose to believe?

I’ll often use up to 700 words in these life coaching newsletters to illustrate an important point.

But, isn’t it nice when we can capture a fundamental truth in just a handful of carefully chosen words that really resonate.

Life Coaching lessons show up all over the place. This month, I have one from a special book I’m reading, The Book of Joy, co-written by the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu. I highly recommend it.

They tell a story I’ll never forget.

A lot of people are anxious these days.

Look, I get it. There’s a lot going on. There’s a lot of uncertainty.

Uncertainty breeds apprehension … the fear of what might happen … which, in turn, breeds anxiety.

And, if you stay anxious all the time, it’ll make you miserable and sick, which, ironically, is what many people are anxious about … getting sick.

So … here’s my question for you.

As a life coach and speaker coach, I’m a big fan of using stories and examples to illuminate and inspire. They make the abstract more tangible and personal … more relatable and real.

In last month’s newsletter, I talked in philosophical terms about how coming to the place where you wouldn’t change a thing about your life’s story can set you free. No more regrets. No more woulda, coulda, shoulda.

And no story illustrates this point better or is more inspirational than that of the great tenor, Andrea Bocelli. It teaches you and me how to face the tough times with courage, grace, and a life’s purpose that carries you through.

The Jones sisters, BBQ Pitmasters of Kansas City, have to be some of the hardest working folks this business coach has ever seen! I LOVE these ladies.

They start work at 2 am, smoking meat and prepping for the day ahead. They’re on their feet for 12-14 solid hours a day, working hard to maintain rigorous standards of quality, as they uphold the legacy passed down from their father.

And they’ve been doing it for 39 years … since they were little girls just tall enough to stand on a milk crate!

People start lining up at Jones BBQ at 9 am, and the sisters typically sell out of food every single day as lunchtime winds down!

They’re great people with a great little business. So, why would they need a Netflix Queer Eye makeover in the spring of 2019? And, how will what they learned help you in your business?

Someone very wise once said, “Laughter is the best medicine.” As a life coach, I couldn’t agree more.

And when is laughter needed most?

When life turns tragic. When the world is in lockdown and people are getting sick, dying, losing their jobs, and going hungry.

Or when you’ve been told you have a terminal illness … let’s say, ankylosing spondylitis … a disease of the connective tissue … and there’s nothing they can do for you. You have maybe a 1 in 500 chance of surviving.