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Working with a coach can be a rewarding, enlightening, eye-opening experience, but many people wonder, “What can a coach do for me that I can’t do for myself?”

As long as you have an open mind, are willing to grow and stretch yourself beyond your comfort zone, and have a “gap” between where you are now and where you want to be, the benefits of working with a coach are enormous.

With a coach, you will:

1. Set goals and take specific actions to get them.
Somewhere inside yourself, you know what you really want to do. If you keep finding the way to your goals blocked, it may because you’re trying to achieve a goal that isn’t coming from your heart. One of the first things we’ll do is find out exactly what you want and need for yourself. Once you visualize your ideal life you’ll be much more likely to take the actions required to get yourself there.

2. Life a balanced, centered life.
If you want to have it all, you have to start with you. That means figuring out what you need and putting yourself first. Selfishness has gotten a bad rap over the centuries. You can’t be there for others unless you have first taken care of yourself. With a coach, you’ll learn how to be selfish and get your own needs met, yet still respond appropriately to the needs of others.

3. Discover energy you didn’t know you had.
When you’re happy, fulfilled, taking care of yourself, in tune with what you want your life to be and able to deal with problems and stressors as they come up, you’re going to feel - and look - better.

4. Live a rich, full, abundant life.
You’ll learn how to bring abundance into your life. You’ll learn that you can always reach for more of what life has to offer because you deserve it. There’s an old saying, “If more is enough, then too much is just right.” Your life will be abundant and you’ll attract more and more good things for yourself.

5. Make smarter decisions for yourself and your business or career.
Sharing ideas with a coach who respects and listens, yet won’t let you wiggle out of the hard work, will help you make clear, focused decisions. A coach has no bias or personal agenda, so you will get an honest, straightforward viewpoint.

6. Get a handle on your money once and for all.
Almost everyone has money issues. No matter what, you have to have it and you probably think you never have enough. Truth: you have more money than you think you do and a coach can help you find it and keep it.

Joan Schramm is a career, executive and personal coach with twenty years experience in management, training and coaching. Joan can work with you to figure out exactly what you want from your life and your career, and how to get there without a lot of detours.

For more information about Joan, or to talk about what’s going on in your career, e-mail coach@achieve-momentum.com, or go to http://www.achieve-momentum.com - Sign up for a free monthly newsletter, “Angular Momentum” and take a free Job Satisfaction Assessment. Check out my bog at http://www.blog.achieve-momentum.com.

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The journey from where we are to where we want to be does not have to be arduous or riddled with stress. In fact it can be a gentle expansion into more of everything we want for ourselves and even more that we haven’t even thought about yet.

Are you ready to move rapidly forward in your life? Are you ready to reach for your dreams with conviction and commitment so that they really happen for you? Are you ready to be, do and have those things you have always hoped for but often wondered if they were really possible for you?

We all talk a good game. Many of us take actions that we believe will indeed move us closer to what we say we want. But I’ve noticed something interesting in my own life and in the lives of my clients. When moving closer to our most heartfelt dreams requires us to stretch beyond our comfort zone or make a significant change in our own attitudes we are not so quick to persist.

If you have read this far and you are still here, you probably recognize yourself and your tendency to gravitate toward what feels comfortable and safe even when you know change is required for reaching your dreams. Here are a few tips I use to strengthen my creative muscles. They help me remember how to steer my course toward the manifestation of my real dreams.

First:

Tell yourself the truth. What do you really, really, REALLY, want?
There is no sense focusing your energy and attention toward those things that don’t really matter. Creating a life that works does require energy and so we might as well use our energy for our real passions and desires.

Next:

Choose one thing to focus upon. Why only one? Choose one topic because it takes singular focus to get the job done. Most of us attempt to take on too many things at once. It doesn’t mean our other dreams get lost. It just means that for a certain period of time - an hour, week or month one primary focus gets our full attention. Manifesting big dreams requires that from us.

Most likely what you want, if you really tell yourself the truth, will fall into one of the following three areas of life:

To improve the quality of your relationships

To establish financial freedom

To attain ongoing vibrant health

Now:

Maintain your focus, manage your own thoughts and feelings so that they are positive and hopeful and enjoy your life. This sounds easy, and yet it can be the most difficult part. They key here is to know that the creative process happens in the invisible world before it becomes visible. Consider a seed planted in the ground. Before it ever breaks the surface of the soil and shows its first leaves much has happened to move it in the direction of its potential. Our dreams are similar. Much happens in our own hearts and minds before the outward manifestation of our dreams is visible. Staying the course requires us to tend to our own inner attitudes and to trust the process of creation is naturally at work within us.

Let it be easy. Know what you want, choose your dreams fully and clearly, maintain your focus with enthusiasm and then relax and enjoy your life.

Peri Coeurtney Enkin is the founder of The Turnaround

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Ima Rich is a classy lady. She drives a fancy car, lives in an exclusive neighborhood, and associates with upscale people. However, Ima is one of the “Broke Folks.” She lives paycheck to paycheck. Her life is filled with debts and worries. Although many people envy Ima’s luxurious lifestyle, Ima is constantly haunted by her financial fakeness.

The Financial Situation

Do your friends hound you because you’re financially shrewd? Are you ridiculed because you have a simple lifestyle? Many Americans live flashy lifestyles (fancy cars and expensive houses) but lack a strong financial basis for living. In our early years of marriage, some people tried to influence our living habits. We were professionals. We needed to act the part. You live in a certain neighborhood and possess the finest things. Fortunately, we didn’t buy-in to this hype. It was all about image but no substance.

The media bombards us with lies that acquiring material things will make us happy. This falsehood confuses our children and makes us “Dream Brokers.” It appears that many Americans have bought this superfluous living. Therefore, we have created a nation of Broke Folks. What are Broke Folks you may ask? Broke Folks relates to individuals who try to portray an upscale image but lack the financial asset to back it up. It’s not about a high paying job. There are numerous examples of professionals (lawyers, doctors, etc.) who are deep in debt but refuse to correct it because of this image. Being broke is now normal.

The Reality Check

Dave Ramsey, author of Freedom Peace, constantly runs into Broke Folks on his nationally syndicated talk show. Ramsey explains, “If you are taking advice from Broke Folks then you are stupid.” The following 2004 statistics by Bankrate mark the increase of this social class:

• Average per US household debt, excluding mortgage debt, is approximately $14,500.
  
• A typical credit card purchase ends up costing 112 percent more than if cash were used.
  
• Some 40 percent of US families annually spend more than they earn.
  
• Approximately 60 percent of active credit card accounts are not paid off monthly.
  
• Average credit card debt among US households is approximately $8,400.
  

Much of the problem with these statistics relate to not delaying personal gratification. Most Americans can handle their money better. We are no exception. However, the myth exists that rich people spend a lot of money. Stanley and Danko, authors of The Millionaire Next Door, maintain that most Americans don’t understand how to build wealth. They explain, “Many people who live in expensive homes and drive luxury cars do not actually have much wealthMany people who have a great deal of wealth do not even live in upscale neighborhoods. Obviously, the media promotes this urban legend of the “Rich & Famous.” To help you with building your wealth, here’s a summary of wealth building tips from the Millionaire Next Door:

• Live below your means.
  
• Allocate your time, energy, and money in ways that help build wealth.
  
• Build good character so that high social status isn’t more important than financial stability.
  
• Teach your children to be economically self-sufficient.
  
• Be prepared to take advantage of any market opportunities.
  
• Do your homework on career selection so that you find the right occupation.
  

The Logical Solution

Become financially responsible. Financial independence is more than show. Don’t let your family and friends talk down to you because you are managing your money wisely. Don’t be discouraged because your friends are living the Glamour Life while you eat “beanie weenies” for dinner. Take the offensive by continually getting financial education and by staying away from “Broke Folks.” Build your financial portfolio. It is not too late. Start today!

Daryl D. Green has published over 100 articles in the field of decision-making (personal and organizational), leadership, and organizational behavior. Mr. Green is also the author of two acclaimed books, Awakening the Talents Within and My Cup Runneth Over. He is a columnist, lecturer, professor, and management consultant. Mr. Green has a BS in engineering and a MA in organizational management. Currently, he is a doctoral degree in strategic leadership. For more information,visit his website at http://www.darylgreen.org

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