Why those who cannot do, coach.
The painful but beautiful truth of this insult.
I am a coach so I used to cringe when I heard this version of the George Bernard Shaw saying:
“Those who can, do. Those who can’t, coach.”
But I get it. We live in a world that loves doers.
From a young age we get the message that there is a specific way to be productive and become a contributing adult worthy of recognition and reward.
We are taught that a good life comes from massive sustained effort, hustle, and getting shit done.
Well I am not designed to embody any of those qualities. In fact I’m not designed to do much at all.
And I’m not alone.
30% of the human population isn’t designed to be a doer.
I know this from something called Human Design. Human Design is a new age philosophy that is so woo it had to be extremely compelling for me to write about it here.
And compelling it is indeed. In fact, it’s life changing. Particularly for those of us who aren’t in the majority type.
Human Design offers an explanation of the way you are optimally made to move through the world. It’s based on one’s time and place of birth. Similar to astrology, Kabbalah, I-Ching and other ancient philosophies and it determines your unique energetic imprint.
It gives you a framework to understand how you are designed to make decisions, to make things happen for yourself, to know if you are on the right path, to live your purpose, and so much more.
The first time someone read my Human Design chart I nearly cried. I had never felt so seen and so understood.
I learned that …
I wasn’t designed to work a full day.
I am not meant to spend my time and energy getting myself from point A to B.
I am designed to help others get from point A to point B.
I am gifted not in what I can do but in what I can see.
I am designed to easily read others.
I am designed to need a lot of time alone.
In this single conversation about my Human Design, my decades-old definitions of success, of work, and of productivity dissolved.
Me: “Wait, so I am not going to be successful in my life by putting more hours into what I do?”
Human Design reader: Nope.
Me: “I am not supposed to hustle to get what I want?”
Human Design reader: Nope.
Me: “So I am not designed to do this popular waitlist-only 90 minute HIIT workout that always leaves me with a headache?”
Human Design reader: Nope.
The modern world has a default way of operating. And I’m here to tell you that your value and purpose can be (perhaps can only be) expressed in ways other than the default.
Some of us are just as effective without doing more. Dare I say we are more effective when we aren’t in maximize-at-all-cost mode.
There are many revised versions of the quote from Mr. Shaw’s writing.
Here is mine:
Those who can, will do. And those who cannot, will do differently.
If you are curious about your Human Design, I invite you to set up time with someone who can read your chart (note: you will need the exact time and city of your birth). Here are two such individuals:
Hello, I’m Serena. I am a life coach. I help high achievers live their life purpose without giving anything up. If you would like to receive thought-provoking content, join my email list. If you are interested in 1:1 coaching, get in touch with me here.
