We don’t need superpowers to become extraordinary. Striving to fulfill the potential with which we were endowed by our Creator makes us the greatest heroes of all. ~ Yonason Goldson

Here’s an interview we had with Rabbi Yonason Goldson on his life coaching career. In this feature, you will read about how he had helped people as well as learn some of his personal practices when it comes to coaching.

Us: How did you start coaching?
Yonason: As a high school teacher, coaching is the essence of what I do. Imparting information is only the barest outline of education. Our job is to teach young people to value knowledge, to filter and process information, to develop discipline and good habits, to see the world with objectivity, to look beneath the surface, to make value judgments that will steer them on a path to success and happiness. Ultimately, we want to make ourselves obsolete by preparing young adults to face the challenges of life well-equipped to meet and conquer them.

Us: What do you love most about coaching?
Yonason: When I can help someone else overcome insecurity, uncertainty, and confusion to embark with confidence on a course of action , then I know I’ve really made a contribution to the world. There’s nothing more rewarding than to witness another person come out of his or her cocoon with newfound maturity and vision and to know that I’ve been part of that transformation.

Us: How do you help people to reach their goals or find their path/purpose in life?
Yonason: There are two kinds of coaching. The first is telling people what they need to do and training them to do it well — the football coach model. But the second type of coaching is training people to recognize what they’re capable of, which goals are going to provide them with the payoff they want, and how they can create a plan of action and make it work on their own. Inspiration, clarity, direction, and motivation are the key factors for success. They’re inside all of us. But sometimes we need help finding them.

Us: What’s the biggest myth about coaching?
Yonason: That we need someone else to tell us what to do or how to succeed. Ultimately, it’s up to each of us to figure our lives out for ourselves. But part of that means learning from the experience of others. There’s no reason why we should have to learn by hit-or-miss when there are so many purveyors of wisdom available to advise or mentor us. If we are driven to succeed, we just need a little guidance to find the right path and get ourselves under way.’

Us: Tell us about a common challenge your clients have and how they can overcome it.
Yonason:  Communication. Too often, people are unwilling to say what they mean, or they aren’t clear about what they want to say, or they don’t know how to say it. On the receiving end, too often people are unwilling or unable to hear ideas that challenge their preconceptions or that force them to think in ways they haven’t thought before. Mediation is the art of helping people reach a point where they can begin to understand one another and start working toward finding common ground to resolve their differences and solve their problems. Instead of coaching one person to reach his own goals, it’s coaching pairs or groups to cooperate effectively and efficiently to attain their collective goals.

Us: What are some of the biggest lessons your clients have learned from you?
Yonason: Never say “that makes no sense.” Instead say “I don’t understand.” Always expect more from yourself. Don’t be afraid of the truth. Don’t be afraid to disagree or of those who disagree with you. No one else is standing in your way.

Us: What attitudes or beliefs have helped you be successful in your own life?
Yonason: That each and every one of us is on this earth to make a unique contribution. If we believe in a purpose higher than ourselves, if we don’t get caught up in our petty egos and our transient desires, then there is no limit to what we can accomplish.

Also, that we don’t have to reinvent the wheel. We just have to tune it up from time to time. By that I mean that the wisdom that leads to success and happiness has been in the world for thousands of years. We need only to translate it into our times and our circumstances. From that point of view, a good coach might be nothing more than a good translator. Or, even better, someone who teaches us how to translate for ourselves.