Coaches vary widely in their approach, background, training, style and ideal client!

Some coaches are very nuts and bolts, some are very spiritual and high level.  Some coaches will excel at helping you reach specific goals, and some coaches will excel at helping you get good at reaching goals on your own!  Some coaches are pragmatic and high-level/transformative at the same time.

In my opinion (certainly biased because this is the type of coach I am!), the best coaches will help you grow in line with how you are meant to be growing.  For example, this may be a time in your life when you are learning to live in prosperity, or maybe this is a time in your life when you are learning to express your truth more often in the work arena.

Somewhat counter-intuitively, growing in your own way will help you in all of the areas of your life you’ve identified as needing improvement, even if the exact growth area seems totally unrelated.  So, for example, let’s say you want a new job, but it becomes very apparent early in your coaching that you have no idea how to organize your time effectively.  Working on your routines and discipline will end up leading directly to more satisfying career conditions.  That’s just how it works.

Here are some things to look for if you want a truly satisfying coaching experience…

Green Flags (things that are good signs that this is excellent coaching for you!)

• Your conversations with your coach are different than conversations with friends and family
• You always leave a coaching conversation with new insights, or at least thoughts to ponder, about yourself
• You feel more confident in yourself
• You feel more confident that you are moving in the right directions
• There are some significant changes in your life, some of them even challenging, but you feel well equipped to master your moments
• You feel more of how you want to feel, be that happy, fulfilled, energetic, peaceful…
• You are getting lots of new ideas of things you could do in your life
• Your relationships are moving in healthy directions, or ending if they are unhealthy
• Your coach is clearly 100% focused on you
• You have no doubt that your coach “has your back”
• You know your coaching goals/objectives and you can measure/assess your progress
• You are frequently amazed at how fast/simply things seem to be transforming for you!  (“I can’t believe how much of a difference this coaching has made for me!”)

Red Flags (signs this may not be the best coaching for you)

• Your coach seems to be giving you a lot of “advice”
• Your coach doesn’t seem to be listening to you
• It seems like nothing is changing
• You aren’t looking forward to talking to your coach
• You feel “pushed” (challenged and stimulated and expanded past your normal limits is good, feeling “pushed” into things probably isn’t!)
• You used to have great chemistry with your coach, but now it has dropped off

You may find that you find one coach that you LOVE and keep using for years.  You may find that you have a coach that works great for you for a while, then you go off on your own.  Or, you may find that different kinds of coaches work for you best at different times in your life.

To get started, do your research, and choose, 1, 2 or 3 coaches to have free sessions with.  If you feel great about the first coach you talk to, give them a try for 1-3 months!  Or, talk to a few coaches until you find someone you feel you click with.

There is no way a coach can prove to you that coaching is going to “work” for you without you giving it a try.  You have to put yourself out there a bit and be willing to take a chance!   The green flags and red flags listed above will help you assess early on if you are getting great coaching for YOU.  When you connect with a great coach for you, there will be absolutely no stopping you in life.  All of your dreams, even the ones you dared not dream, can come true.  You will be accessing your unlimited potential, living the way that you want to be living, and absolutely in love with your life!

The snowstorm hitting the Northeast, Ontario and Atlantic provinces certainly is a challenge!  Yet, like all challenges it contains some great opportunities for learning, appreciation, enjoyment and fulfillment.  There is a lot to love here!

Top 5 Things to Love About the Snowstorm:

5.  A Change From Your Usual Routine (a big one!)

It’s great when the weather simply makes it impossible to engage in your usual responsibilities.  This is a chance to take a mini-break from work, school and even your usual mental concerns.  Allow yourself this break!  What does this break allow you to do that you usually can not?  Play in the snow is an obvious first option!

4.  A Super Chance for Learning

Yes, in a situation like this, some things are not going to go perfectly.  That’s ok, that’s what growth looks like!  This is a great chance for individuals, and towns, cities, states, provinces and countries to refine methods of communication, mutual support, and logistics.  For example, we have ever increasing numbers of cool technologies now, cell phone cameras, Twitter, Facebook, crowd sourcing…How can they be used in situations like this?  How can we engage weather events in better, smarter more organized ways?  It doesn’t seem like there is going to be a decrease in challenging and unique weather events any time soon.  No time like the present to get smart!

3. Exercise Your Appreciation Muscles!

The corner variety store owner.  The snowplowing crews.  The police, firefighters and emergency workers.  The city workers and administrators.  How often do you stop and give notice to how much these people help you?  Not just in emergencies, but all the time!  There is a complex network of people around you, helping you live the very best life you can.  If it isn’t always obvious, it should be obvious right now.  Feel the appreciation and share the love with a heartfelt thanks!

2. A Chance to Commune and Cooperate with Our Neighbors

We may have our Facebook friends, our co-workers and our families, but how often do we actually come out of our houses and talk to our neighbors?  How often do we get to pitch in and help?  Helping your community feels great and can make a huge contribution.   Who needs help digging out?  Is there an elderly person in the neighborhood you might check on?  Do you have extra supplies you can share?  Are there any pets or wildlife in distress?  If you can’t find a way to pitch in and help, you’re not trying!  (Conversely, if you need help, ask for it!  Most people would love to help you if you tell them what you need.)

1. A Chance to Have Quality (Quiet!) Time with Our Family

Typical day at home…Everyone is in their own room staring at their own screens.  There’s nothing like a power outage to bring everyone into the same room.  And, gasp, talk to each other!  Talk, play games, tell stories, work together and create memories.   Maybe even a little snuggling to stay warm.  🙂 There can be nothing more refreshing, fulfilling and enjoyable than quality time with your family.  Even if it wasn’t necessarily by choice.  You may find that you enjoy it so much, you make some new resolutions, like one “blackout” evening per month from now on!

True fulfillment in life does not necessarily come when everything is “fine” and “normal”.  True fulfillment comes in growth, creativity, overcoming challenges, helping others and connecting with other people.  This snowstorm is a great opportunity for the quality moments that develop character and add depth and meaning to our lives.