@Havi: I heart yawns. Every time I see you say yawn, I can’t help but do it, too.

@Duff: Awesome comment – I’ve been hoping I can ride on the Triple Filters, and it’s worked thus far. And after talking to you now, I’m seeing where you’re coming from on the usefulness bit. It’s not you – it’s the expectations of clients when they approach either a life coach or a productivity coach.

@Nikki: I’ll have to look into the MAPS system – thanks for the lead. It’s more that I saw the interesting question as like the icing on a cake – sure, I can help them with their goals, but wouldn’t they also enjoy it more if it was entertaining. I guess I got too wrapped up in the Merlin Mann/ Seth Godin characters – and I was looking up to people like Naomi who’s brilliant and entertaining as hell. Thanks for reading, and welcome to the conversation.

Mark Hurst of GoodExperience.com and the author of Bit Literacy defines good customer experience as a combination of
1. Aesthetics
2. Meaning
3. Usefulness

Kinda like the Good, the True, and the Beautiful for business. You don’t have to have all 3 maxed out in order to have a good experience, and there is generally a leaning towards 1 or 2. My coaching is more about meaning and usefulness, and could perhaps use more beauty/fun/enjoyment.

Duffs last blog post..Deconstructing Personal Development, Part 3: State Management, Positive Thinking, and the Cultivation of Mania

Much as I hate to agree with the last commenter, I must second the “Charlie is good entertainment” point.

Selma the Ducks last blog post..Taking on the “ew” aspect of affiliate programs

2. Havi Brooks — and her mind-numbingly boring sidekick — are really the least interesting habits coach/duck combo I have ever come across, and they’re as rich as Midas. We can all learn from this.

Naomi Dunfords last blog post..If You Build It, They Won’t Come

It dawns on me that few are going to get the point of offering less. I wouldn’t have got it three months ago.

In case you read that and were curious, offering less is not cheaping out. It’s focusing on the product and not the fluff that surrounds the product. So for the same amount of money, you get better service. I know it’s not quite right to leave this nugget in the comments, but time is pressing. Maybe I’ll do something with it in a few days.

@Vered: It’s because of personalities like that limey Brownson that I thought I had to be more pizzazz. And, yes, I do love Tim and am trying to provoke him in another space. Maybe he’ll show and call me on it, and maybe he won’t.

Resonating is far more important than entertaining.

@Jonathan: I’ve come to really think hard about trying and failing at this phase in my life. I’ve ranted against that recently, but the reality is we have more to lose by failing to try than by trying and failing. Most of us can pick up and do something very similar to what we’re already doing should things not work out – but some opportunities are such that you just have to take them when they come up.

I’m checking my Inbox. Let’s do this ebook thing!

@Mark: I appreciate the compliment on my writing, but I understood you perfectly well. You’re an effective communicator – you have to be to be a good coach.

In retrospect, I should have been more clear about what’s going on. It’s not that I’m uncharismatic, but rather that you can be charismatic without being really interesting or have a developed panache. I didn’t think I had a thing.

Havi makes me think that maybe I do and didn’t realize it. If I pull of the combination of traits she says I have, then that’s my shtick. Otherwise it’s just a mashup of the different domains of my life.

Thanks for commenting. I believe this is your first, and I really appreciate you taking the time.

Still, I intuited that they could “deliver the goods.” And they did. Conversely, many of the charismatic lecturers came off as “thin.”

All buttressing your point, I think.

As a coach (not a “life coach,” a sports coach, for triathlon, track & field and cross country) I know I can deeply hook the passions of my athletes to drive them toward top performance. I prove it every day.

I have faith in both my charisma–which I’d prefer to call “fluency in communicating my passion”–and in the fundamental value I provide–”you’ll get waaaay faster, and become a better and happier person besides!”

My greatest weakness is that I don’t convey this well *until the coaching relationship has actually started.*

I’m not HALF the writer you are, Charlie!

Mark V. McDonnells last blog post..Four Steps to Sports Success – What to strive for in training

This obstacle was even more prominent when I decided to write my upcoming ebook. I though… “Okay, maybe I can give stuff away for free, but who am I to charge people for my ideas or what I’ve learned?”

The truth is, you’ll never know unless you try. I’m willing to take that risk. Thanks for being you Charlie.

By the way, I might need your help actually with this thing. Maybe we can find a way to work together on this. I’ll hit you up soon.

Tim Brownson is a good example. He is highly entertaining for sure, but the real reason I admire him is that I think he knows what he’s talking about in terms of finding happiness. What he says resonates.

I can totally vouch for the fact that your coaching work is genius. Your thoughtful, steady philosopher thing combined with your “make stuff happen” army guy thing plus the fact that you’re smart, sweet and truly care is a really big deal.

Oh, and that you have creative ideas for helping me move forward with my projects and come up with stuff I’d never even considered.

And now this beautiful insight: “I can offer less by just being me”. Huge.

Havi Brooks (and duck)s last blog post..Taking on the “ew” aspect of affiliate programs