The trouble with labels

I was speaking to my accountant this week, for the first time in close to a year, as we discussed filing my taxes. We chatted a bit to catch up. Knowing I am not actively involved with Stealth Seminar any longer he asked what I’ve been doing.

“Mostly taking the time, working on self-development, exploring new avenues, figuring out how I can help people. I’ve taken some courses on coaching.”

“You mean like life coaching?”

I could feel my stomach turn immediately. I felt literal pain. There is no way I would want my entire life and experiences to be summed into some misunderstood label.

I realized in that moment I need a better way to explain myself, because when I use conventional words it immediately relies on the other person to interpret the word the same way as I meant it. That is impossible.

I responded, “Well, I know I have a powerful story and persona, and I’m learning how to better to tell my story and share who I am with people; this person who has never followed the established road in his life, who has had success and failures, who knows what it’s like to create things from nothing, who knows the struggles when you do, who revels in being different from everyone else. Especially now, in a post-pandemic world, where all the rules we knew are out the window. I’ve found that people, just from spending time with me, the person that I am starts to inspire new thinking and ideas in them, just from me sharing space with them.”

“It’s happening right now!”, my accountant exclaimed. “I’ve been getting new ideas just while you’ve been talking.”

And that’s why I won’t label myself any more. There isn’t a name for what I do. What I do distills my entire lifetime of experiences into the person I am today and I help people create new things. I know that people who spend time with me feel inspiration, they are given permission to create and think outside the box.

Lately, I’ve summed this up simply as “I’m in the Chris Frolic business”. I’ll let them inquire into what that means and I’ll tell them.

Part of this leads to me asking how do I help others break free of conformity and labels? I’ve encountered lots of coaches lately attracted to my message. The thing is, my answer and solution isn’t going to be the same for them. This is an individual solution.

What I can do though is continue to share my own journey with it. And share my biggest gifts: inspiration and permission to think different. As well as my support that this is an ongoing process.

So, even right now through this blog, just suppose you were with me, having a great conversation about being different and creating new things. And from that conversation it gave you some new ideas.

I’ll leave you to it.