Who’s Coaching You on Your Path to Success?

(As I have recently announced on this blog, I will be creating a coaching program this year called, 'Breaking Down the Barriers in 2007' with my Four Pillars of Success system. It will be open to the public for a select few on January 29th. My goal is to help motivated people achieve all their goals and aspirations and do it without spending an arm and a leg like some coaching programs require. To prove the importance of having a coach or mentor - I have reprinted an article written by 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' creator Jack Canfield.)

You would never expect an athlete to reach the Olympic Games without a world-class coach. Nor would you expect a professional football team to enter the stadium without a whole team of coaches – head coach, offensive coach, defensive coach, and a special teams coach. Well, today, coaching has moved into the business and personal realm to include coaches who have succeeded in your area of interest – and who can help you traverse this same path or even one far greater.

One of the Best-Kept Secrets of the Successful

Of all the things successful people do to accelerate their trip down the path to success, participating in some kind of coaching program is a the top of the list.

A coach will help you clarify our vision and goals, support you through your fears, keep you focused, confront your unconscious behaviors and old patterns, expect you to do your best, help you live by your values, show you how to earn more while working less, and keep you focused on your core genius.

Worth More Than Money

I have had many coaches who have helped me achieve my goals - business coaches, writing coaches, marketing coaches, and personal coaches.

What were the results?

First and foremost, I immediately doubled my free time. I delegated more tasks, scheduled vacations rather than merely thought about them, and hired additional staff that ultimately positioned my business to earn more. And that was just in the first few months.

Not only did my business benefit, but my family did, too.

For me, coaching wasn’t just about making more money. It was about helping me make better decisions for myself and my business. The truth is, most coaching clients are smart – very smart. Yet they still know the value of accessing someone who can be objective, honest, and constructive about the options they are facing.

Why Coaching Works

Regardless of whether the program is designed to achieve a specific business goal – say, increasing your real estate listings – or whether it is specifically designed to help you simply gain more clarity and progress in all areas of your personal and professional life, a coach can help you…

* Determine your values, vision, mission, purpose and goals
* Determine specific action steps to help you achieve those goals
* Help you sort through opportunities
* Keep you focused on your top priorities
* Achieve balance in your life while still accomplishing your business or career goals

Different Formats for Coaching

Coaching can be delivered privately or in groups. Most often, it’s done through regularly scheduled telephone contact, although it can also be done in person. Over the course of the sessions, you’ll work together with your coach to develop goals, strategies, and a plan of action that is positive, desirable, and realistic. Support is often provided between sessions through e-mail and other media.

Occasionally, depending on the coach, you may be coached via structured large-group teleconferences in which you listen to valuable information, and then implement what you hear on your own. Some coaches will work with you every week and others once a month.

How to Find a Coach

There are literally thousands of coaches available to work with you. There are personal coaches, life coaches, and business coaches. Some are industry specific (dental, chiropractic, real estate, and speaking), some are job specific (executive coaches), and some are interest specific (strategic planning, health and wellness, finances, and career transition).

You can find them on the Internet, in the phone book, and by asking around. There are organizations like Coach U and the International Coach Federation that can help you find a coach near you.

In my experience, the reason many of us are not living up to our fullest potential lies in the gap, the gap between knowing and doing. Often, we attempt to close that gap with the New Year’s Resolution only to find ourselves back where we started come February or March.

In the end, a coach will challenge you to do more and be more.


Jack Canfield, America’s Success Coach, is the founder and co-creator of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul and a leading authority on Peak Performance. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com