Here, in Nicaragua, I met S., an ultra runner and a wilderness guide back in US. He is a nomad with a running problem. :) In the summer and fall, he guides groups through Yosemite and Grand Canyon, and in the winter, he takes off somewhere warm to live and train for a destination race.
For starters, if you are an accountant, chances are your job does not ignite sparks in people’s eyes (no matter how passionate you may be about accounting). Both health coach and wilderness guide tend to elicit “Wow, that’s so cool! I wish I could do that” reaction very frequently.
Over the course of multiple conversations, it became apparent that the jobs of health coach and wilderness guide are very similar. You are helping people to find their way, to not get lost, and not to walk off a cliff.
You work with people. You walk beside them. You can guide them, but you can’t drag them.
Instead, you have the map. You have a plan. You know what to do in a case of emergency. You ensure they have the supplies they need.
More often than not, people need convincing that they can, indeed, do what they set out to do. Your job is to convince them. Their job is to do it.
You introduce others to a whole different world. It has been your world for a while now, and sometimes, you forget how scary and overwhelming that world can be to a newbie.
Sometimes, people show up, and they are not ready. That’s ok. It is their journey. You can hang out with them in their place of “not-being-readiness”, but you can’t be ready FOR them. He is a wilderness coach. I am a health guide.
He is a wilderness coach.
I am a health guide.
YOUR TURN: Have you ever made an unlikely connection and found striking resemblances between your profession and someone else's?
Liked this post? Check out some of my pre-race thoughts and why I want to DNF a race this year.
Hugs, SOLO