What is Life Consulting? 

Many people are unclear on exactly what life consulting is, and how it differs from other things they are familiar with.  Here are some similarities and distinctions to help clarify:

A life consultant is sort of like a life coach, in that they help people live more rewarding lives.  But the work of a life consultant goes deeper.  Rather than be the person cheering the sailor on to faster and faster speeds, a life consultant helps the sailor determine to which port they should sail; in which port their soul is harbored.

A life consultant is sort of like a psychologist, in that they help people manage how their minds work and impact their wellbeing.  But unlike a psychologist, instead of mental health, a life consultant focuses on the soundness of a person’s philosophy, reasoning, moral codes, belief systems, and strategies for perception, analysis, action, and reaction.

A life consultant is sort of like a minister, in that they help people evaluate their spiritual and ethical approaches in life.  But unlike matters of faith, the body of thought a life consultant works with allows for self-criticism, adaptation, and pragmatism.  Also unlike faith, the value of the methods and principles of a life consultant’s work is measured by their practical effectiveness.

A life consultant is sort of like a business consultant, in that they work with people on how to be more successful in life.  But unlike a business consultant, a life consultant focuses on quality of life more than profitability.  The primary question a life consultant focuses on is not how to make more money, but rather how to have a better experience of life regardless of how much money you make.

You might say that a life consultant is most like the philosophers of the ancient wisdom schools.  Their work focuses on how to best cultivate a person’s mind/soul to empower them to make the most of life.

What does Life Consulting Look Like? How Does it Work? 

In working with our clients, we have two general approaches:  1) Structured courses that provide organized, efficient and proactive training to equip and empower clients to have more fulfilling lives; and  2)  Individualized consulting that is targeted to successfully addressing specific challenges a client is facing.  Both approaches typically utilize a combination of structured work exercises and regular phone consultations with a consultant.  Courses have a set fee for the course and materials.  Individualized consulting is typically provided at an hourly rate for the consultant’s time.

More generally speaking, the work that life consulting focuses on has been referred to by many names:  transformation; emotional intelligence; spiritual growth; self-actualization; and enlightenment to name a few.  But it centers on building and strengthening the mind.

A large amount of our thinking takes place in the subconscious.  Some examples of this are:  the beliefs we assume to be true; the assumptions we make about life and situations we encounter; and many of the thought processes that are applied to what we believe reality to be.  All of which can have a huge impact on our predisposition towards something, before we even give it our first conscious thought.

Life consultants help clients become more aware of the subconscious processes that influence their thinking and attitudes.  With awareness, comes the ability to modify those processes if needed or desired.  And when change is needed or desired, life consultants help their clients implement those changes.

Working with a life consultant also focuses on the client’s awareness- how broad it is, how deep it runs, and how clearly they perceive reality.  This includes self-awareness, social awareness, and environmental awareness.  The more we are aware of, the better the decisions we can make.  But we all have blinders to many aspects of reality.  And without working to remove them, they limit our ability to accurately perceive things, and therefore our ability to make the wisest decisions possible.

Perhaps the hardest part of the work of a life consultant focuses on helping people transcend their egos.  Not in terms of being egotistical or not.  But rather the ego as the identifier of, and security system for, the person.  The ego is what tells us what is “us” and what is not “us”.  It keeps us from walking off cliffs or eating our own arm for food.  It warns us of danger and pushes us to avoid it.  While the protective mechanics of the ego have their critically important upside, there are also some downsides.

The ego can hinder our ability to see things from others’ point of view.  It can make it difficult for us to not take things personally.  It can cause us to become very self-absorbed.  It can make us alter our perception of reality in order to protect us from the pain of the truth when we are wrong, inadequate or have failed.  These things, which usually fly under the radar and escape our conscious awareness, can have huge costs both socially and in our ability to effectively perceive and interact with reality.  They can hinder us from both deep, and accurate, self-awareness.  And they can substantially stunt our growth.  Moreover, it is hard to formulate and execute a good strategy when we are building it based upon an inaccurate version of reality.

In summary, working with a life consultant is about eliminating blinders, removing self-created limitations and roadblocks, uncovering and resolving deeply buried internal conflicts, and discovering and applying the full spectrum of who we are, to achieving the things that will bring us the most fulfillment in life.