Everyone has a gift or two or twelve, some something that comes to them easily, some something that they like to share with others. Me? I happen to have been born with an abundance of energy, and while that wasn’t exactly how I got my name, it could well be. I landed on the planet in 1964 and immediately commenced to bouncing off the walls. In the near half-century since that first energy burst, I’ve been around endless blocks countless times, acquiring (often accidentally) lots of useful information along the way. I’ve stumbled through hard times, beaten addictions, figured out a thing or two, made roughly ten billion friends, raised a fine young man, published six books, survived a couple of divorces, developed a philosophy I call Irish Buddhism, and learned to recognize that not singing in public is a kindness I can easily offer others.
Of all the talents I’ve honed, two in particular count as absolute favorites: I love connecting folks with each other and I love encouraging them to follow their dreams. Some people call me the human FaceBook, since I’m about 1/4th a degree (at most) separated from just about everyone in Austin. I get a huge kick out of introducing people to each other so that one can help the other or both can be of mutual assistance. Therapists, business owners, artists, musicians, editors, wedding vendors, doctors, lawyers, yoga instructors, teachers, gallery owners… my little black book is packed with contact info for experts of all stripes. As for directly egging people on– this I like to do in my writing workshops, my craft workshops, at various events I host around town, and through one-on-one email correspondence.
For years now already, I’ve guided couples— hundreds of them– as they prepared for their weddings, ultimately doing the honors of tying the knot for them. Now I’m offering other types of guidance as well. Is it therapy? No. Is it coaching? You could call it that. But I can also help with what I like to call pre-coaching. Here’s a story to help illustrate what I mean by pre-coaching:
Decades ago, a friend of mine, confused about his sexuality, called a psychologist referral number in hopes of finding a therapist to help him sort things through. The woman who answered the phone needed some information in order to connect my friend to a therapist that would be a good fit. And so she asked, “Do you want a man or a woman?” My friend, misunderstanding that the operator was referring to therapist gender, burst out, “I DON’T KNOW. THAT’S WHY I NEED THERAPY!”
So, okay– a lot of people know they want some changes, but they aren’t sure what the changes are. Therapists can help with this– often through examining a client’s past. Life coaches can also help by focusing on the present and future to guide clients as they work to meet established goals. But what about folks who don’t exactly know what they want or need to get to a better place? And what about people who just need a little bit of help to solve a particular issue, something that doesn’t require multiple sessions or deep analysis? What if you just need to walk around Town Lake and vent for an hour or two, just be heard, then move on? What if you want to know the first steps to take to decide if you really are a writer/painter/musician or if you just need to test the waters and get the fantasy out of your system?
That’s where pre-coaching comes in. If you’re trying to figure out what you’re trying to figure out– if you want to zero in on a question, start to make a plan, craft your way out of a funk, blog your way to an appreciative audience, meditate your way through grief, track down a specialist you can trust, or just get some good new-fashioned advice– I can help with that. I’m glad to assist you in connecting with the right people, or sharing my own skills to start you on the path from Here to There. If you already know your goals, that’s great– I can help you move forward from there, too.
Just drop me an email at spikegillespie@gmail.com when you’re ready for an energy shift and let’s start to figure it out.
Spike Your Energy 