A very common myth in the NLP, Life Coaching and the “people helping business” in general, is that we must have first hand personal experience in order to help in order to help our clients overcome personal challenges and achieve their goals.
This fallacy couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Some examples include the fact that…
I’m terrible at golf. I’ve never even played a full round of golf- but I guarantee to help golfers take at least 2 strokes off of their golf game- and have never had to offer a refund yet.
I’ve never experienced long term chronic physical pain- but I’ve helped countless clients at least minimize their levels of pain- and more often than not, overcome it entirely.
I have absolutely no idea what it must be like to have Asperger’s Syndrome (AKA- High Functioning Autism), but I’ve helped many dozens of clients with it so far to live considerably more enjoyable and more functional lives.
I’ve never been in a position where I had to kill anyone- but I’ve helped countless clients overcome the emotional trauma of having to.
I’ve never had issues with weight, but I’ve helped countless clients lose weight- from the inside out.
I’ve never smoked cigarettes, but I’ve helped countless clients quit smoking for good.
I’ve never been a top athlete- but I’ve helped countless athletes overcome a slump.
And the people that helped me achieve what I have today, certainly didn’t have to experience some of the crazy things I’ve seen in my day.
Sure, it can help to have first hand knowledge & experience in certain areas in order to better relate to someone- but it’s certainly not a requirement.
Yes- You absolutely need to have proper training, ideally quality NLP Training, Life Coach Training, and even Hypnosis Training, and of course plenty of real world experience in working with clients in order to help with most of the issues I listed above, however you don’t need to have to have first hand experience in order to help your clients overcome their personal challenges and achieve their goals in life.
