They Inspired Others...and Inspired Me

THEY INSPIRED OTHERS…AND INSPIRED ME
TO BECOME A LIFE COACH

Whether we realize it or not, most of us have probably chosen a career or a personal path in life at least partly due to the inspiration we felt from people we knew or situations we experienced earlier in our lives. In my case, I can definitely single out certain individuals – beloved members of my family – whose exceptional ways of interacting with others and indomitable personal faith have left a lasting impression on my consciousness and helped mold my decision to become a Certified Life Coach.

In my years as a child and adolescent, I was fortunate to spend a lot of time with my uncle, Rabbi Dovid Wichnin z”l, who devoted his life to education and religious outreach. With his distinctive blend of wisdom and genuine concern for other people’s well-being, my uncle developed the ability to recognize each person he encountered as a truly unique individual. Recognizing that each person has their own particular perspective on the world around them, Rabbi Wichnin was able to listen to people of varying ages and backgrounds, and unambiguously understand where they were “coming from” psychologically and philosophically. My uncle would often say, “Is that right?” when speaking with people – this phrase seemed to encapsulate his capacity to connect to their feelings and validate their specific concerns. As a consequence of his friendly and compassionate personality, my uncle visibly inspired a wide range of individuals to work on improving their character traits and strive to reach higher levels of accomplishment.

I often reminisce about how my uncle would periodically take me on trips to meaningful places, engaging me in conversations that were not only intellectually stimulating, but which displayed his knack for knowing how to gear his thinking in a fashion that would mesh with his “partner in communication.” On many of these excursions, my uncle – with his keen observational skills – would take note of other teenagers and their exuberant youthful antics. Rather than express the typical adult criticism, he would comment that he understood their innate need to “let off steam” and he recognized their inner goodness.

As I came to realize over the years, Rabbi Wichnin’s intuitive ability to relate to his fellow human beings was greatly a result of an optimistic spirit that seemed to pervade his entire being. He always believed that a strong sense of purpose and a steadfastly positive attitude would enable anybody to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles and ultimately achieve their goals in life. My uncle’s optimism especially shone through during the final period of his life, when – despite a progressive illness that robbed him of his power of speech – he still managed to communicate to others and convey a message of hope.

My grandfather – my mother’s father – stands out in my mind as another relative whose special personality made a great impact on me and inevitably contributed to my pursuit of a career as a Life Coach. To my family and those who knew him, my grandfather epitomized the traits of faith and perseverance. At one point during the horrific period of World War II and Nazi oppression in Europe, my grandparents were hiding from the Nazis, when my grandfather suddenly realized that he had left his tefillin in a different location. Despite my grandmother’s strong entreaties to stay put and not endanger his life by going outdoors, my grandfather could not countenance the possibility of missing the precious mitzvah of tefillin for even one day. Insisting that he had to leave their hiding place to retrieve his tefillin, my grandfather calmly assured my grandmother that he would return safely. With his primary mission accomplished, my grandfather made his way back to the hiding place – only to spot Nazi soldiers walking in the area. Thinking quickly, my grandfather noticed that it was a windy day, and that there was a broken tree near him. He placed the dislodged tree trunk on his back and crawled along the ground, reckoning that the Nazis would believe that the moving figure was simply a tree blowing around. My grandfather made it back to my grandmother safe and sound – with his faith and physical being intact.

At another point during the war, my grandfather was in hiding together with his mother. One day, with her entire body covered in lice and her bones exceedingly frail, she passed out, and her life was clearly in danger. Summoning all of his strength, my grandfather performed CPR on his mother, pinching her firmly on the top of her nose and breathing life back into her. Not only did my grandfather succeed at nursing her back to a reasonable state of health, he eventually managed to smuggle her into Eretz Yisroel, where she lived for another ten years. As usual, my grandfather’s firmly rooted belief in a positive outcome was validated once again.

After his arrival in America, my grandfather obtained a job at a union where, unfortunately, he was openly hated for being Jewish. Recognizing that it was dangerous for him to wear a yarmulke, he went to work every day wearing a hat. When Friday came, he at first wanted to leave early so that he could travel with public transportation and be home on time for Shabbos. However, my grandfather realized that – given the anti-Semitic atmosphere – he would likely be in physical danger from his co-workers should they discover that he was Shomer Shabbos. Accordingly, he stayed until closing time, and then proceeded to walk the many miles to get home so that he would not violate the Shabbos. Just as he had done in Europe, my grandfather refused to give up no matter how difficult the situation was, and he always found a way to persevere.

The cumulative impact of spending time with each of these two family members has been profoundly enlightening for me and has played a major role in my life’s “calling.” As a Certified Life Coach, I am able to utilize the power of positive psychology to work closely with clients and gradually imbue them with an abiding sense of self-esteem. In the spirit of my late uncle, I can employ the art of listening to people at its highest level, and thereby help them focus on their innermost personal issues in a fashion that will allow them to transform their way of thinking. With the deep-seated emotional fortitude and positive thinking that have served as hallmarks of my relatives’ actions and lives, I can communicate with each client in a manner that will progressively brighten their attitude and inspire them to believe that they truly can turn their life’s dreams into tangible reality.