Thanks to MS, my life-plan is all up in the air right now, so what I need is a ‘wantologist’, right? Yup, the latest craze from California is to get yourself a wantologist, an offshoot of a life-coach. Originally devised to help business managers make purchasing decisions, could this be the Holy Grail I am seeking?
Apparently, the first step is to think about what you want, then decide if you are ‘floating’ or ‘navigating’ towards your goal. Seriously? After that, you have to describe how you would feel once you have what you want. People pay for this?
Ok, so assuming I find a wantologist in the Yellow Pages, can you imagine how my initial session would go?
‘Right dear, mind the incense stick, oh and watch out for the candle. Now, sit down, clear your mind and breathe deeply. Concentrate on what you really, really want. Can you tell me?’
‘A cure for multiple sclerosis, please’.
‘Oh. How would you feel if you had a cure for multiple sclerosis?’
‘Um, healthy?’
‘And how can you attain this goal?’
‘Raise money from bake-sales to help fund vital research?’
‘And how would that make you feeeeel?’
‘Happy?’
‘Are you floating towards that goal or navigating?’
‘Well, I’m feeling pretty floaty on that incense’.
‘Ok. You go away and make some cakes; navigate towards that goal! You have the inner strength! You can do it! Now, that’ll be £95 please. We take all cards’.
I have ‘wantology’ conversations with my friends and family all the time. We all do! I’ll chat to my friends about what job I want, which pair of shoes I should buy, which shade of lippy suits me best. Through chats over coffee or wine, we put the world to rights and sort out thorny issues, they help clarify the jumble in my mind. I don’t need an expert to replace that.
Mind you, with my sticky job situation at the moment, I’m tempted to take the two-day (yes, really!) training course and set myself up as one. But how would it make me feel? Shall I float or navigate?