(Principles are basic truths that, when applied, cause success to come to you easier and quicker.)


We were talking about his late father, specifically the relentless way his father had pushed him to excel, when he casually said, “He wanted me to be the best he could be.”

Whoa! What did you say? “…the best HE could be”? The ensuing pause was thick with awakening and emotion. Yes, he misspoke but it was the truth.

He had thought/assumed his father wanted him to be a success for him, the son, but suddenly realized it was so the father could be and feel successful.

The irony was that his father had been quite successful in many ways but did not feel so. The son’s duty, as assigned by the father, was to cover the father’s shortcomings.

With this new awareness he was able to let go of some of the prickly bits of their relationship and have an even deeper love for his father.


Coaching Point: While this story is about a son and his father, it is not gender specific. Have you seen this dynamic anywhere?


Copyright 2020 Steve Straus. All rights reserved.