The perfect Christmas gift is hard to define. Some thoughts:

• At its core, it is a gift which adds significant value to the recipient’s life.
• Different gifts offer different people different levels of value.
• “Perfect” doesn’t necessarily have to be 100% perfect – it just has to be valuable to the recipient.

In this day in age (in developed societies), we generally have everything we need. Therefore, the more we own, the less return on investment tangible gifts tend to provide. The latest smart phone doesn’t add much more value to someone’s life than the last one they had did. At least with a voucher you can be assured that the recipient will be able to select something that they like (but once again, the law of diminishing returns often applies, especially once the “newness” of their purchase fades away).

Intangible gifts are a bit different. I’ve written previously about the value that new experience can bring to your life. Sky diving, rally car driving and flying lessons are experiences that people don’t tend to forget. The key here is knowing that another person will enjoy what you are proposing and won’t be too scared or put off to give it a shot. The downside, however, is that this kind of gift doesn’t last long. In fact, these kinds of experiences can be over in minutes. Because of that, these gifts may not seem worth the price.

And so we may be caught between purchasing a tangible gift that a loved one might not value and an intangible gift that will disappear quickly.

What if there was something that was intangible that could also last a life time? Something that is tailored to the recipient? Something that they would find valuable?

I’d like to offer one possibility: personal growth. Personal growth expands your comfort zone, teaches you new things about yourself and makes you more effective in this world. Growing as a person provides you new ways of thinking, operating and living for the rest of your life.

An intangible gift that lasts a life time.

But how can you get another person to grow? Like they say, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink. If you’ve ever tried to convince someone that they need to quit smoking, eat more healthily or exercise regularly you’ll know what I mean.

A person has to want to change.

But people generally do have things that they want to do, goals they want to achieve and aspirations they would like to live up to. The question then becomes: why haven’t they been achieving their goals?

A personal coach can be an effective way of identifying roadblocks, generating motivation and moving forward. Coaching at its core is all about the client – what they want, what their situation is, what they find valuable. The entire process is geared towards helping them to create achievable goals which they find valuable.

So if you’re stuck thinking of what to buy someone for this Christmas, here’s a gift option that will save you time, provide value to the recipient and carries with it no risk…

To celebrate the holiday season and provide the kind of gift that will last a life time (which you can purchase for someone else or even yourself), I’m offering a 25% discount when you purchase two or more Happier and Healthier Coaching sessions, which includes a complimentary session to start with (as I normally do). That means three coaching sessions will only cost you $142.50, which is a pretty good deal considering some coaches charge as much as $250/hour.

If you think that my sessions may be worth less for some reason… well you could be right… but I doubt it. This is something I do on the side for the enjoyment, for the experience and for making a difference in the world. It’s not my primary source of income and so I can afford to provide a quality service to people who would otherwise be unable to afford it.

And if you’re not sure whether this is a purchase you’ll be satisfied with or not, I’m also offering a 100% money back guarantee before the second session. That means no risk to you if you or your intended recipient decide that coaching is not appropriate (alternatively, I may also decide that coaching is not appropriate, as an ethical obligation, and refund your money).

On the other hand, it might change their life for the better, permanently.

Other details you might like to know:

• This offer is only valid until 23rd December, 2011, so don’t leave it too late
• Coaching is conducted according to the Happier and Healthier Coaching Terms and Conditions
• Sessions must be used by 1st July 2012
• This blog post must be quoted to receive this offer

Get in contact with me via phone or email now before you find yourself stuck on Christmas Eve doing last minute gift shopping! What have you got to lose?