“Have your shit together.” – Emma “Emazon” Barbato

When I asked Emma Barbato for three pieces of advice for someone starting down the road toward becoming a coach, she only gave me one. But it’s a good one.

“When you place yourself in a leadership, mentoring or teaching position, every vulnerability or weakness will be tested,” Emma says.

In her web log posts and online discussions, Emma talks a lot about authenticity; that willingness to dig past the external standards we place on ourselves (often without realising) – the shoulds and oughts, if you will – and putting your actual self to work as the generator of your life.

That’s much easier to say than do, of course. All those shoulds and oughts often act as armour between yourself and the world. They protect your authentic self from harm. The only problem is, they also restrict it, constrict it.

Getting rid of that armour is necessary and never more so if you want to help other people. But it means that life will start hurting more.

Emma insists that’s the point. “When a challenge punches you, accept it – a part of you is being authentically tested.

“Do not go in for the wage or the desire – you must be vulnerable. Be humble and learn what you don’t know yet.”

Another reason to have your shit together is that learning what you need (and what you need to let go of) can be a long haul.

“Training is your apprenticeship,” Emma says. “Mastery is the next ten years after you finish training.”

Want to hear more about how Emma Barbato makes authenticity the core of her unique combination of personal training and life coaching? Listen to her episode of The Paid to Play Podcast!

Featured Image from Emazon’s Photobucket.