Last August my husband and I took a trip of a lifetime, a road trip over 6000 miles, from Florida to the Grand Canyon and back. We took a month to get away from our marriage ministry, our coaching business, our extended family, and took a wild ride across the country and back again. During that trip I remember saying that I was ready for something new in my life – but little did I know it was going to be John Maxwell.
Shortly after my return my dear, dear friend Hayley Williams called me and said, “Dahling” (for those of you who know her, she has a British accent that just makes you melt when you hear her) “Dahling, you must join the John Maxwell team with me NOW!” I remember thinking that I just came off a month sabbatical, after several years of studying for my master’s degree, my coaching certifications, and many hours of coaching couples, hosting marriage intensives, and developing a website! Whew! What else could I possibly need? Ok, one call to the John Maxwell Team coordinator, and I was in. Of all they were offering me, what I knew I needed tweaking the most was my public speaking skills.. Not that I don’t know how to deliver a message to an audience, I needed to learn how to deliver a message without my mouth quivering and my knees knocking together. If the JMT (as we are fondly known) could help me in that area, it would be worth the investment.
Little did I know the journey that God was taking me on. From August to February I worked with mentor coaches twice a week, listened to hours of tapes on speaking, coaching, mentoring, training. In February I attended a four day seminar with John Maxwell live ……. yes, THE John Maxwell, and his incredibly magnificent team, and learned from people all over the world how other people are helping people to live intentional lives – maximizing their potential in a variety of ways. And at the end of the four days, I signed on for a year of mentorship – so now, I am on calls with my internationally known coaches every day – Monday through Friday – I have a speaking coach, a marketing coach, a coaching coach (yes that’s what I said) a Maxwell philosophy coach, and a leadership coach. My mind has been expanded, my heart has been opened in ways I never expected, my physical being has been stretched and exhausted, and I have brand new ways of approaching this whole concept of marriage coaching and personal growth.
I used to believe that if a couple was just given the right set of tools with loving mentors to guide them, they could have a successful marriage. However, over the last ten years David and I have concluded that some marriages “get it” and some marriages don’t. The marriages that “get it” are those comprised of individuals who are already satisfied with themselves personally. (And how many people do you know are truly satisfied with themselves?) For others, we see that the individuals in that marriage need to grow individually before they can be given the marriage tools. They need to change their mindset about their personal self, and that can only be done by looking in the mirror and making the changes that individual wants to make. No one else can do it for him or her.
Last fall, John Maxwell wrote the 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth, an incredible study for individuals who want to increase their awareness and understanding on how to evolve effectively with the personal choices they want to make to maximize their potential. David and I are currently working to expand John’s material to offer to others The 15 Invaluable Laws of Marriage Growth. You will be hearing about this in the next few weeks. We will be offering this as an 8 week study, both live and online, and also as a seminar for couples who want to experience this growth in a weekend.
John Maxwell did turn my life upside down – both personally and professionally. I have learned more about myself in the last few months than I ever did studying for a graduate degree. If I thought I had a lot to offer couples pre-August 2012, I certainly am more prepared than ever to help couples maximize their personal lives AND their married lives. And that is a good thing, John Maxwell. For that I say, thank you John, and I am so glad you are my friend!