Strategies and Tactics

As a LIFE coach I face a variety of human dilemmas which are mostly rooted in emotional PAIN and memories of past emotional PAIN. The fact is, people don’t call me when things are going well; they call when they’re hitting bottom.

These situations can include:

• A marriage that’s facing major problems, and perhaps one or both partners are considering divorce
• Dating without results
• Dating which has become a parade of sexual partners
• A current or recent divorce
• Lack motivation and purpose
• The toxicity of one’s family of origin still controls every decision
• A major economic problems because of a lost job
• Financial debt that’s beyond control
• A career challenge, such as a promotion that went to someone else
• Feeling stuck in a pattern or bad situation

One of the things that creates SUCCESS in any endeavor of LIFE, including the examples cited, is a clear distinction between STRATEGIES and TACTICS.

The internet and the bookstores are packed with information about HOW TO MAKE ANYTHING WORK! There are formulas for literally anything you can imagine; more than 200 diets to lose weight and how-to books on becoming a millionaire or succeeding at anything you choose. The list is almost unlimited, and the variety of self-help choices suggest that by making the right choice of a mentor you can find the steps, the keys, the secrets to that one thing you need and boom…. you’ve got it!

Even though millions of dollars are made by these enterprises, I doubt that the results are measurable and lasting for most people. I meet many people who are empty and very disappointed because a quick formula didn’t work for them.

Why don’t these quick fixes work? Because STRATEGIES without TACTICS don’t produce results, and TACTICS without STRATEGIES don’t produce lasting results.

What is a strategy? A strategy is the WHERE YOU WANT TO GO. What do you want to get at the end of the road? What do you want the results to be? Small strategies produce small results. Big strategies produce big results.

What is a tactic? A tactic is an ACTION STEP that helps you to accomplish your strategy. A tactic enables your destination. Tactics are like a car. The car is useless if you don’t know where you’re going. Good, positive, massive, powerful tactics give you good results. Weak, small, irrelevant tactics give you small results.

Let’s talk practical applications. Your strategy is to loose weight. Your tactic is a diet. But remember that small strategies produce small results. So, you follow a diet and you lose some weight. That’s a good start. Then you decide you want bigger results. What do you do next? You must get tougher on the strategy end of the proposition, so you establish a timeline that specifically dates the day you begin, the date by which you will accomplish your goal, and then how many pounds you want to lose. Now you have a bigger strategy, and you’ll need to better monitor your tactics or action steps to accomplish your goal. You’ll have to THINK about your tactics, and in the end you get bigger results.

Such tactics are like an investment: the more you put into the project the more you get out of it. So your tactics are working, you’ve become good at getting in shape and decide to set a strategy to become truly HEALTHY. This is a completely different strategy from losing weight. Your strategy now will reach a much bigger goal and greater results, so you’ll have to be very specific with your strategy. This may include not only food but the quality of your food, sleeping patterns, caffeine intake, exercise program, mental health, relationships, time outdoors versus being in the office all day, and everything else that affects your health. Now we’re dealing with a huge strategy, so your tactics will have to be careful, intentional and filled with measurable content, and to implement these tactics you’ll need to develop new disciplines, new behaviors and a new mindset. Most likely you’ll need a coach when you make a decision like this.

The same tactics apply to LIFE. People with poor life strategies move like they’re walking on a treadmill, going with the flow. They use very few tactics. In fact, most people don’t want to bother with strategies or tactics for LIFE. The same is true of marriage. You can follow tactics when the “house” is falling apart, but that won’t amount to much when the storm hits. You can have a strategy to save your marriage, but if your strategy is not big enough and your tactics are not smart, your “house” will collapse. The same applies to parenting, dating or any of the other issues listed previously.

Coaching is the best way to obtain results in dealing with the big issues of life. A third party can help you see what you can’t see from the inside. A coach can hold you accountable in a way you can’t do by yourself. A coach is different from a counselor or a psychotherapist because a coach is in the FIELD of LIFE with you and makes sure there are ACTION steps to get results. A LIFE coach will rarely be interested in digging up your psyche to find out about your past life. A LIFE coach is about results and you reaching your BEST LIFE EVER. A LIFE coach wants to see you turning your stumbling blocks into stepping stones and your scars into stars.

I’m a LIFE coach because I believe LIFE often amounts to managing imperfection with the strategies and tactics which will give you the best results. Managing imperfection to reach magnificent results is an investment of time and money you must make to avoid damaging your sense of wholeness and the well-being of those around you. LIFE without tactics is chaotic and frustrating; LIFE with strategies and tactics is purposeful and rewarding.

The LIFE ZONE is the place where strategies and tactics produce real results for YOUR BEST LIFE EVER!