Paul Edward

 

Coach Paul is the Founder and President of Life-Changing Coaching, whose client list includes some of America’s most influential people. Coach Paul is a graduate of the prestigious Harvard-Westlake prep school, the University of Southern California, and Regent University. He is also a part-time professor at California State University, Long Beach. Coach Paul is a former US Marine Corps Infantry Officer, actor, and corporate executive. He lives in Southern California with his wife, Pam, two sons, Austin and Christopher, and dog, Sampson.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PageOneLit.com: Where did you grow up and was reading and writing a part of your life? Who were your earliest influences and why?

Paul Edward: I grew up in Los Angeles in the part of town made famous by the 1991 movie “Boyz in the Hood.” My neighborhood wasn’t as rough and dangerous as the one portrayed in the movie, but I did have my share of run-ins with local gang bangers. I suppose that’s why my earliest reading influences were authors like JRR Tolkien and Louis L’Amour. I was drawn to the heroes in these stories, the sheriffs and rangers and knights who protected the weak and got rid of the bad guys. In some ways, I have been writing for as long as I can remember, first poetry, then short stories, and now I have my hand in everything from novels to screenplays to government reports and research papers. I feel like God made me a writer and so I have been trying to fulfill that destiny.

 

PageOneLit.com: How did you get into Life coaching?

Paul Edward: My journey into life coaching gives truth to that old saying that sometimes your career chooses you. From the time I was an 11-year old senior patrol leader in my church Boy Scout troop, I have been helping people solve their problems and move forward in life. I carried that approach into every job I had, from leading Marines in Gulf War I to running the operations division for Washington Mutual. When I discovered that there was a new professional field that was specifically about helping people and organizations develop, it was an easy transition for me to make. Instead of trying to find a way to fit coaching into my other responsibilities, I can now devote all of my energies to helping people move forward in their lives and professions.

 

PageOneLit.com: What is "The Moving Forward" philosophy?

Paul Edward: The Moving Forward philosophy is quite simple. At some point along life’s journey, we all get stuck somewhere. To get moving forward again and keep moving forward requires five foundations: Self-Awareness, Synchronicity, Connection, Deliberation, and Adaptability. People who master these foundations find that they have the tools they need to overcome obstacles and keep making progress in their lives.

 

PageOneLit.com: Discuss your new award winning book Moving Forward. How is Moving Forward different from others in the self help genre?

Paul Edward: I’m very excited about my new book and humbled by the award it received. I’ve been speaking and teaching for several years now and one of the things that always used to bother me was that there were just so many people I met who needed and wanted coaching from me, but I simply didn’t have time to coach them. I wrote Moving Forward as a way of reaching those people. It’s like buying a coach in a book and I’m quite proud of how it turned out.

The key message in Moving Forward, which sets it apart from most books in the self-help genre, is that to make sustained progress in life, we need other people. The world is full of people who have tried to grow and develop on their own and failed. I’ve tried that approach myself. It doesn’t work. What does work is getting connected to the right kinds of people who can help you on your journey. As I write in the book, we are hardwired for connection. It’s those connections that enable us to make sustained progress.

 

PageOneLit.com: In Moving Forward you write , "Effective energy management involves renewing your energy supply on a regular basis..." Explain.

Paul Edward: One of the most important things I learned when studying people who were exceptional in their fields was that they were masters at managing their energy. To do anything well takes lots of energy. But most people are so tired that they barely have enough energy to make it through their days, let alone take on new challenges. Part of the self-awareness foundation is learning how different personality types recharge themselves. For example, I have a clear preference for introversion, which means that I renew my energy in solitude. But for many years I wasn’t aware of this. I thought I was an extrovert and I tried to renew my energy in social situations. Guess what? It didn’t work for me. I was just tired all the time. I couldn’t think, I couldn’t create, I couldn’t dream. All I wanted to do was sleep. But now that I have learned how to manage my energy effectively, I have all of the energy I need to accomplish my goals. And when I start running low, I know exactly what I need to do to recharge.

 

 

PageOneLit.com: Personality versus Identity - Define and explain.

Paul Edward: In a nutshell, I use the personality versus identity language to describe the difference between who we are on the inside (personality) and who we portray ourselves to be on the outside (identity). Most people mask their personalities so that they can be accepted by those around them. For example, I had a client who had the personality of an adventurer, but whose parents were very conservative and traditional. He wanted to be something like an archeologist or a merchant marine, but his parents expected him to become an accountant or something “safe.” He became an accountant and hated. He described his life as feeling like a tiger locked in a cage. I worked with him to help unmask his personality and adopt an identity that was in-synch with it. He now works for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and considers himself to be like Clive Cussler’s Dirk Pitt. He wakes up everyday excited about what he gets to do for a living. In his case, who he is on the inside is who he gets to be on the outside, so he is loving life.

 

 

PageOneLit.com: Why do we as individuals "Get Stuck"? And when we feel "Stuck" what is the first thing we need to do?

Paul Edward: I get asked this question a lot. There are a lot of reasons that we get stuck. We run out of energy, we run out of resources, we run out of motivation. Sometimes we get stuck because we are connected to the wrong people and they actually hold us back. We also get stuck because we get lost or discouraged.

The first thing I invite people to do when they get stuck is let someone else know. It’s like taking a trip or going to work. You are on your way and then your car breaks down. At that point you have two choices, you can sit in your car and wait until someone notices that you are stuck and need assistance or you can get on the phone and call for help. I encourage people to get on the phone and call for help. Whether it’s a friend, a family member, or a life coach like myself, the key to getting unstuck is getting help.

 

 

PageOneLit.com: What does Coach Paul do daily to keep his "Motivational Fire" burning?

Paul Edward: My faith in Christ is my greatest source of energy and motivation, so I begin everyday with Bible study and prayer. Because I know the connection between physical and mental health, I also exercise regularly and try to watch what I eat. Like the rest of humanity, I too am subject to obstacles and challenges to my progress, so I am plugged into a supportive community of men and women who love me and genuinely care about me. I try to meet as many new people as I can because I love hearing how other people have overcome the challenges in their lives. Lastly, I make sure that I make time in my life to rest, recreate, and spend time with those I love.

 

 

PageOneLit.com: What do you hope to achieve with Moving Forward?

Paul Edward: My current goal is to get Moving Forward into the educational system. We are good at teaching students a lot of things, except how to be successful in life. I believe that every high school senior and college student in America should read Moving Forward because it will give them a blueprint for living successful lives. (So if any of your readers out there can help me with that, I would love to talk with them.) I would also like to get Moving Forward into the hands of as many leaders and managers as I possibly can. If they would start using some of the techniques I teach in the book, not only would they make their workplaces more enjoyable places to work, but they would also help their companies become more profitable, which would be great for our economy.

 

 

PageOneLit.com: What was the last book you read?

Paul Edward: The last book I read was a Jack Higgins novel called the Killing Ground. Continuing with that same theme I mentioned earlier, I love the characters in Higgins’ novels. They stand against the darkness and evil and keep the world safe. In many ways that’s what my coaching practice is about, helping people fight against the darkness that threatens to overwhelm their lives and making the world a better place.

 

PageOneLit.com: What's next?

Paul Edward: I have several projects in the works right now. I am excited to be finishing up work on my first fiction novel, which your readers can preview and give me feedback here: http://bit.ly/9t6n9E. I am also wrapping up editing the second book in the Life-Changing Coaching series, which we hope to have out by the end of this year. And finally, my team is working on an interactive, web-based, coaching experience. So I am keeping pretty busy these days.

 

PageOneLit.com: Do you have any hobbies? What are they? How do they enhance your writing?

Paul Edward: Like most writers, one of my biggest hobbies is reading. I read everything that I can get my hands on because I have a wide range of interests. Reading widely and often gives me insights into human behavior and keeps my writing fresh and relevant. I am also a big movie fan. I love movies, especially British films. Because non-fiction writing can easily become dry and academic, watching movies reminds me of the importance of drama, emotion, and story, so I try to weave those elements into everything I write to hold the interest of the reader.