Debating the Value of the First Lost Tooth
“Coaching” has become a standard Weber household vernacular as I’ve taken the plunge into Catholic coaching the last several years. Sharing my own coaching experiences is raising the antennae for my spouse about how coaching might help him in his law practice.
Recently, Joe asked my opinion on a legal coaching group that boasts success in helping attorneys transform their “law practices” into “law firms”. (A business or “law firm” means you can walk away from it for days and weeks and it still is thriving when you return.) While the promised results appealed, Joe was concerned about their model, which required four weekend trips a year to attend quarterly legal coaching meetings.
I encouraged him to research other legal coaching firms. Many companies who deliver similar results may have a much different delivery system, more compatible with his lifestyle. My analytical spouse continued to mull his decision, and finally responded to the attorney with no kids that he did not think it was a good fit at this time.
The man from the firm sent a follow-up email. The representative responded in what my husband felt was more aggressive than he appreciated, with the comment, “So what are you going to do?!”
My spouse, a skilled writer with a knack for colorful expression, laid out in detail his rationale for his rejection. He cited his relatively high revenues with relatively low work hours, which did not create a sense of urgency to do any program. But Joe’s biggest concern was the toll on the family of the quarterly weekend trips, listing gymnastics meets, track meets, cross country meets, Boy Scout camps, and family hanging out time. If one of the quarterly meetings had been last weekend, for example, he explained he would have missed both our five-year-old Benjamin’s first basket at his basketball game and the losing of his first tooth.
I’m grateful I’m married to a man who has the proper value of the loss of the first tooth and can debate it when necessary.
The Catholic Women’s Guide to Healthy Relationships Tip: When you say “yes” to something make sure you have accurately valued what you will be missing.
