Get On The Good Foot

For those of you who don’t know, I am, among other things, a trained and certified Life Coach. That means that, for a fee, I will be your sounding board, partner in brainstorming, and advocate. A guy, confidential and objective, who will nudge you in the right direction. I will applaud your efforts, champion your best self, and hold you accountable to your commitments, as you work toward living your best life.

To become a coach, I trained in groups and individually, for many months, by phone and in person, learning about people in individual, relationship, and corporate contexts. It was a lot of work and considerable expense. But I could have avoided all that, because, for years, though I didn’t know it, I had been studying at the feet of the master. The ultimate coaching machine. The hardest working man in interpersonal relations. The Godfather of Soul and Transformation – Mister James Brown.

Though, sadly, he is gone, he left behind records of his sessions. In these, his worldly experience, his perceptive and wise, not to mention funky, understanding of human relations is there for all time to help us negotiate the rapids of relationships and the intricacies of individual human development.

Many of his teachings have entered the mainstream and taken their righteous place in the collective unconscious. Get Up Offa That Thing, Dance and You’ll Feel Better. Now, that is an essential exhortation and understanding from which everyone can benefit.

The legacy he left us is virtually inexhaustible. And, it will always be relevant and immediate. For example, put on I Got The Feeling and turn up the volume. It is not just an intellectual lesson; it is a somatic one. Just try sitting still clutching the beliefs and self-concepts that no longer match the person you are today. Say the words, I Feel Good. Affirmation is not just some woo woo idea; it’s a cathartic explosion. A reprogramming of your internal computer. Embrace the concept. Hold to that vision of what is and what can be.

Mr. James Brown did not find all this in a book. He found it on the road. In small towns and smoky dives and incorporated the lessons learned there until eventually he could consult with auditoriums and arenas full of people who had sought out and intuitively designed a working relationship with this sage from Augusta, GA.

Throughout his career, James Brown championed and challenged the souls of people who were discouraged, confused, who suffered from low self-esteem, and who were at a point in their lives where they were ready for change. James Brown supplied the words that echoed their deepest feelings. His own journey was one of constant questioning and a determination to move forward.

He shared his own struggle in such great songs as: I’ll Go Crazy, Think, Get It Together, and Talking Loud and Saying Nothing. His moments of desperation come through in: Please, Please, Please, Bewildered, I Can’t Stand Myself, and I’ve Got Ants In My Pants.

As he began to find his way, he shared his inner dialogue of affirmation and encouragement: Pump Up The Volume, Don’t Be A Drop0ut, You’ve Got To Change Your Mind, and Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved. He celebrated personal triumph and expressed real joy, when he sang: You’ve Got The Power, Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag, It’s a Brand New Day, So Let A Man Come In And Do The Popcorn, and Say It Loud, I’m_____ (you fill in the blank) and I’m Proud.

There’s no denying the influence of James Brown. He, in his way, coached a nation at a critical point in its struggle for equality for all its citizens. He provided the keys for self-development. He challenged us to get up offa our things and get it together. As a coach, he provided inspiration and an energy that may never be equaled. Personally, I am indebted to him for his wise counsel and encouragement at important moments of my life and am forever grateful for his example and his determination to never give up or settle for anything less than the best.

Thank you, Mr. Dynamite! As he said, so often, Get On Up And Get On The Good Foot.