Unit 7: Leading by Example

My unit 7 posts will be in two parts, since I have yet to sit down with Meeting Aesclepius.  As for the second part:
"One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself."

I agree with this statement to an extent.  I believe more that one cannot lead another where one is not going.  Pursuit of health and wellness is dynamic and evolutionary, but not necessarily finite or conclusive.  As a health professional, I think one has an obligation to live his/her principles.  There should definitely be leading by example.  If, for example, a personal trainer tells a client that they must exercise three times per week for cardio health, I expect that trainer to be doing the same.  However, if a trainer is a small women training a large man to gain muscle, she will definitely have to tell him to do things she herself cannot do, such as bench press 150 lbs.  I don't believe in this case that she is leading where she has not gone; I believe that she is leading him along a similar path she has traveled, one of fitness improvement, but that everyone's individual path looks very different.  I also believe that no matter what point we are in our path, we can help each other. If someone is trying to quit smoking but has not yet achieved the goal fully, I believe he/she can still help motivate someone else who is trying.  As long as we are going in the same direction, we have something to contribute.