Why Hire A Life Coach ?

Definition of Coaching

Coaching is an ongoing professional relationship that helps people produce extraordinary results in their lives, careers, businesses or organizations. Through the process of coaching, clients deepen their learning, improve their performance, and enhance their quality of life. In each meeting or call, the Coach listens and contributes observations and questions. This interaction creates clarity and moves the distributor into action.
Coaching accelerates progress by providing focus and awareness. It concentrates on where you are now and what you are willing to do to get where you want to be in the future, recognizing that results are a matter of the intentions, choices and actions, Supported by a good Coach's efforts and application of the coaching process, amazing things can happen.

Why Coaching is Important

In a day and age when we have become so reactive and response to the daily needs of life, coaching is the opportunity to break free. In a coaching relationship you are in the seat of power and control and can proactively direct your life in the direction you want to go. In any area, career, relationship, health, community, when you are being coached you are asked two very important questions. First, what do you want? Second, what are you willing to do about it? These questions are potent and confronting, but the whole idea behind coaching is that you are hiring someone to supportively hold you accountable for getting what you want. You determine what that is.

You’d be amazed at how hard this can be for some. We are clear about some of our dreams and desires. I often hear, “I want to be paid well for doing work that I love.” “I want more quality time with my family and friends.” “I want to be healthy and fit, without having to go to the gym.” “I want meaning and purpose in my life.” But you might also be shocked to learn that quite often people say to me, “My dream is to have a dream.”

So mired in reality, so busy living from our clocks and calendars, we often forget what matters to us or have little time to even think about it. That’s where a Coach comes in. Your Coach can help you get in touch with your purpose and passion, your dreams and hopes, overcomes your fears and doubts and most importantly support you ongoingly in taking the necessary steps, week by week, day by day for getting what you want.

Even as a Dream Coach™, I use a Coach. A Coach listens intently, asks clarifying questions, challenges my assumptions, helps me dream big and makes sure I do the important things I say I will do in order to have the precious things I say I want. It is a partnership based on intention, agreement, integrity and relationship.

The bottom line is, we can’t do it alone. Some of us think we can, but with a Coach you will be challenged, stretched and empowered. You will dream bigger dreams, have insights, uncover and hopefully remove limitations. With a Coach you will increase your chances at being successful and you will be celebrated for it.

The Dream Coach™ Philosophy of Coaching

There are many types of coaching programs available. As the founder of Dream Coach™ University I have certified Coaches worldwide in a specific process. Simply put, a Dream Coach™ assists others in getting what they want personally and professionally. This process helps people find their life’s purpose, ignite their passion, clarify their dreams, remove all obstacles (including not having enough time or money) take action, and produce fast results.

A Dream Coach's responsibility is to:

• Discover, clarify, and align with what the client wants to achieve.
• Encourage self-discovery.
• Hold the client responsible and accountable.
• Speak the truth.
• Relate, reflect and help produce results.

The Dream Coach™ Process

Set An Intention Objective: To understand the power and importance of intention and for you to set an intention for this program, such as find a new job or career, or get a promotion
Maintain Integrity

Objective: To learn how to live with integrity by removing incompletion and keeping agreements with yourself and others. It is essential that you remove or clear up anything form your past that might be in the way of you having what you want

Live On Purpose

Objective: To understand the meaning and importance of purpose in order to live more aligned with your purpose. Dreams without purpose, even a job without aligning to your purpose, can be unfulfilling. We can take steps to avoid this.

Access Your Dreamer

Objective: To create a dynamic relationship with the Dreamer inside of you, and a dream you are passionate about. No matter how realistic you may be, there is a part of you that knows what will make you happy and what you want. We will help you uncover this and get extremely clear about what you want.

Learn From Your Doubter

Objective: To create a powerful and dynamic relationship with the Doubter inside of you, and to learn from the lessons this part of you offers. Left unattended, this is part of us often sabotages our dreams. This does not need to happen.

Believe In Your Dreams

Objective: To create a belief as a solid foundation for making your dreams come true. If you don't believe in yourself or your dream, no one else will either. This is a life-changing step.

Failure Can Lead To Success

Objective: To learn to use all of life’s lessons as powerful tools, and to create daily practices to deepen what you learn. In this work, we look at what happened and what you learned and design practices for strengthening your Achilles heel

Take Serious Steps Forward

Objective: To plan the essential action steps to insure that your dreams come true. In the end, it all comes down to taking action and the practical steps for making your dream real.

Building Your Dream Team

Objective: To be able to ask for help, making your dream more easily attainable. There are resources that you know and do not know who can open doors and make your life easier. Learn essential skills for asking and getting help

Live As A Dreamer

Objective: The objective is simple, to create a dream come true life. Once you are clear about your purpose, dreams and resources, you can look at all areas of your life and decide what you want. This process works on any dream.

Who Am I ?

I've had a feeling for sometime now that there's a deeper level to go with the Life On Purpose Process. It's been incubating for several months, surfacing from time to time, often while I'm reading something of a spiritual nature.

I'm now ready to give a first cut at it. I'll begin with the idea that with the Life On Purpose Process we can address the question of "who am I?" For example, when someone says, "My life purpose is..." Who is the my/I that they are referring to?

During the first part of the process, it becomes clear to people that they've been living a life of 'mistaken identity,' as they uncover their Inherited Purpose. In this process they realize that they are not their Inherited Purpose, but instead they have an Inherited Purpose. With this insight comes the possibility of shifting from being the Inherited Purpose (or perhaps it's more accurate to say, 'being had' by the Inherited Purpose) to only having an Inherited Purpose.

So, if we're not our Inherited Purpose, who are we?

Well, it might be natural to say, we're our true, divinely inspired life purpose, also known as the created life purpose. While this is closer, it's not quite accurate. Here's what I see.

In the Prime Your Passion exercise that we use to clarify a person's true life purpose we use the metaphor of standing in front of a canvas. Previously, what was on that canvas was the picture of the person, or at least of whom they've considered themselves to be - their Inherited Purpose. And then in the process of uncovering the Inherited Purpose for what it truly is, they are able to lift it from the canvas, leaving themselves with a blank canvas upon which to create. And what they then can create or paint on the canvas is their true, created life purpose.

So, based on all of that, who are we? Try this on.

It appears to me that who we truly are, is the blank canvas. Or perhaps we're both the blank canvas AND the artist. It resonates for me to view myself, the individual as the canvas -- the canvas being the individualized soul that resides here on earth in the body. It's this individualized soul that I am, also known as the observer or witness. Then there's the artist who could be thought of as the oversoul or God, but in a sense it is all one and the same at this level. (A bit like a wave being an integral part of the whole ocean.)
Just to finish out the metaphor, the paints we use are the different "pigments of meaning" (composed of thoughts and feelings) that we dab onto our blank canvas with the brushes of our heart and our mind. What becomes possible is our personal life on purpose masterpiece.

The Ideal Day !

There's an old riddle that goes like this:

How do you eat an elephant?
Answer: One bite at a time.

That can also be true for redesigning a life. Much of our lives are made up of the routines we have developed that become the framework for a typical day in our life. Granted, many people have a fair amount of variety in a lot of their days, still most of us can learn a lot about our lives by looking at the patterns we have adopted over time.

That is the purpose of the following 2 part exercise. First, to get a clearer picture of what your "Current Typical Day" looks like and then to explore what your "Ideal Typical Day" could be.
Between these two pictures, between the current picture and the picture of your ideal day, there is likely to be a gap. Sometimes the gap is large, sometimes not so large. In either case, once you have a clear view of both of these type days, you can begin the process of closing the gap by taking conscious steps towards bringing your Ideal Typical Day into reality.

For example, when I first committed to living a life of service, simplicity, and spiritual serenity, I was working many more hours than I wanted to be. Those hours were consistent with my Inherited Purpose of needing to work really, really hard so I could get ahead, so I wouldn't be poor and so people wouldn't leave me. But, when I started to look at what I ideally wanted my day to look like, I began the process of redesigning my days to include less work hours and more time for my family and for fun outside of work.
Today, I love my 'typical days' as well as those that are a little less than typical. But this is not about my days, it is about yours, so let's get started.

Part 1: Getting a Clear Picture of your Current Typical Day

Take yourself step by step, segment by segment, through what is a typical day for you. Start with when you normally wake up and how (alarm, child shaking you, or naturally awakening on your own), and also what is your mood upon awakening. Then proceed to what happens next as well as how you feel as you progress through the day.

Be honest with yourself. This is about telling yourself the truth. If there are parts of the day that might vary, then make note of the variety. For example, Tuesday through Thursday much of my typical day is spent on the phone with coaching clients while Monday and Friday is when I am in my office. I am mostly working on my business rather than delivering my services.

Take yourself all the way through your typical day until you finally put your head once more on your pillow. What time do you typically go to bed? How do you feel at that point? How long does it take for you to fall asleep? Do you first fall asleep somewhere else like on the sofa in front of the TV, and then have to get up and go to bed? Make note of anything you feel is relevant, including if you tend to awaken during the night. If you do, how do you feel, and how long does it take you to fall back asleep?

Part 2: Painting a Picture of Your Ideal Typical Day

This may be the more challenging part of the exercise, but it can also be the most fun, invigorating and at least as insight filled as the first half.
Begin to paint a picture of what your ideal or perfect typical day would be. Keep it in balance between allowing yourself to dream and stretch a bit while also anchoring it some in reality.
For this part of the exercise, it may prove useful to set yourself a timeframe as to by when your Ideal Typical Day could realistically become your real typical day. This might be 6 months out, 1 year, or more. Again, be sure to paint a vivid picture including what you will be doing and what you will be experiencing. Have fun with this.

What to Do with the Results

After completing both parts of the exercise, take a day or two to note any insights you can glean from the process, and write those insights down.
Make notes of any of the insights you would be particularly interested in taking action on and if you know what those actions might be, write those down as well.
If you are working with a coach, I encourage you to send the information you have gleaned from this process to your coach. Not working with a coach? Why NOT?

The Gremlin In You

Are you lost? Are you searching for something in life yet never seem to find it?
If you want to be successful at something, perhaps the easiest way is to look for somebody who is already successful in that field. Once you have done that you can then model yourself around that person. For instance, if you want to learn guitar find a good guitarist who can either teach you personally or, if that is not possible, you can copy the way they play.

Make sure that the person you choose is successful. What would be the sense in taking advice from somebody who has no experience? Many people do just that. They listen to somebody who has no idea. Often such a person is a family member or a friend. Dare I say it? The all-knowing brother-in-law or sister-in-law. They just know everything about everything. Don't they?

It is wise to take advice but only from those who you know are qualified to give it. If in doubt, do some research. Find out more about the coach or mentor you are considering using. Does that person have the track record that you wish you had? If so, go ahead - approach them. Some will decline but many will be flattered. Remember this too - if you don't ask, the answer is always "no."

Warren Buffet is the most experienced and successful investor in the world. Do you think it might be a good idea to take investment advice from him? You can, you know. You don't have to know him personally. In fact, even getting an audience with him would be virtually impossible. But he does have many books that you can study. Here is a quote from Warren Buffet:

"If you can tell me who your heroes are I can tell you how you are going to turn out in life."

The quote above indicates that Warren Buffet believes that he is able to tell what sort of person you will become not only by who you idolize but also by the type and quality of people who you associate with. Do you think Mr Buffet might have powerful, influential and forward thinking friends and associates? You better believe it. What about you? What are your key friends and associates like? Might it be time to start seeking out people that you can move forward with?

What about a mentor? Have you found somebody who you respect and who you can take a lead from? Find a mentor. Model yourself around that person. It's the quickest path to achieving what you want.

Happyness Within

Are you happy? When asked this question, do you stop to ask yourself, “What is happiness anyway”? I wonder how many people even stop to clarify what happiness means to them or what can be done to improve the present level of happiness that exists in their lives.

Some people believe that happiness is something that is the result of external factors in their lives such as success in their profession, the accumulation of wealth, meeting the perfect mate or creating the ideal family. Holding on to such a belief allows the forces of our everyday lives to dictate our level of happiness. According to this belief, one could wake up in a present state of happiness feeling very satisfied and content with their world. As they progressed through their day, however, they may lose this state of happiness as they are faced with the struggles of their day to day lives.

Such inconveniences as traffic, crying children, unexpected tasks at work, rude interactions with others, miscommunications with their spouse or children and the like, could send their happy state of mind in an out of control downward spiral leaving them feeling sad, frustrated, and dissatisfied with their lives. By allowing the happenings of their daily lives to dictate their happiness level, such people are at great risk of living lives that are unpredictable and that are controlling them rather than them controlling their lives. The long term result of such a belief system could be a state of depression and pessimism in regard to the future.

In contrast, other people have a drastically different philosophy in regard to happiness based on much of the research that has been done on positive psychology. One of the leading psychologists in the field of positive psychology, Martin E. P. Seligman, teaches that one can cultivate and experience authentic happiness and become more optimistic about the future.

Those individuals, who follow the teachings of Dr. Seligman and other positive psychologists, recognize that life will endlessly throw challenges in their path. But to the extent that we make the daily choice to use our resilience and our core strengths to tackle such challenges will determine our level of happiness. This type of happiness is happiness from within because it is acquired by making a daily choice to be happy rather than to allow external factors to dictate ones level of happiness. Such people view the future with optimistic hope and excitement as they create the life they want to live.

So, what does it take to be happy from within? What can one do to improve their perspective on how to achieve and create happiness in their lives?

Here are some simple suggestions to improve your present level of happiness based on the wisdom of some of the great pioneers in the field of positive psychology:

1. Make happiness a habit. Happiness is a choice that needs to be made every day, every hour, and every minute in fact. Those individuals who are the most happy are so because they choose to be.

2. Cultivate mindfulness. In developing the capacity to be fully present in each moment, one can live a life of greater depth and meaning. By training oneself to be in the here and now, in the present moment, we immediately enhance the quality and fullness of life.

3. Direct your daily thoughts. Be aware of the thoughts that you believe in as truths. In order to become aware of your thoughts, begin by writing down your thoughts. Then read what you have written and question whether or not these thoughts are helpful to you or realistic. Are they truths based on facts or just your own beliefs? After analyzing your thoughts, write down other possible truths that could exist in relation to the belief that you presently have.

4. Live in a state of FLOW: “FLOW” is a theory that was discovered by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi who is a pioneer in achieving inner happiness. He suggests that flow is a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter. To achieve flow an activity must have the following components: the activity must be challenging, it must be clear in how it will progress meaning that the rules are simple, it must require all of our concentration, and we must feel we are making progress and are in control. Activities that promote a state of flow include those activities that require discipline such as an art, a sport, or a religion. They more flow activities that we incorporate into our lives, the happier we will feel.

5. Practice forgiveness: Among all great religions taught throughout the world, a common call to forgive one another exists. Forgiveness leads to the path of inner happiness. Failing to forgive someone takes from our heart by filling it with anger and hatred every time we think of the person that we harbor negative feelings towards. In genuinely forgiving another person for a wrong that they have done, one will feel a huge healing to their heart almost as if their capacity to love has increase because their heart has literally grown in size!

6. Develop discipline: According to research conducted on inner happiness, one of the essential factors in a person’s happiness is their level of self-discipline. By overindulging in food, alcohol, sex, etc., a weakening in our mind, body and soul can result. By practicing self discipline in our daily lives, we strengthen our mind and self-image because we promote a feeling that we are in control of our body. By using restraint, we achieve stability which leads to contentment.

7. Be an optimist: Among the many findings of Martin Seligman’s pioneering work on positive psychology, is the highly effective way to increase wellbeing by thinking in an optimistic manner. Seligman has shown that optimistic people are more successful at work, are healthier, have more friends, and experience more enjoyment out of life. This is so because they perceive problems as temporary and do not take them personally. Such optimistic thinkers view the events that happen in their lives as always having a positive side. They elect to believe that ones ability to conquer hardship is determined by how one recovers from a setback. They hold on to the belief that nothing can hold them down permanently.

8. Simplify your life: Life in our modern society has become overwhelmingly busy and complex. To restore a sense of balance to our lives, one must try to do less, own less, worry less and push ourselves less. To do this one can give away possessions that they are not using, reduce the number of hours they work each day, chose to see friends less so they spend more time with their family, and take some time each day to just sitting and not doing anything but be in the moment.

9. Exercise regularly: Daily exercise has been proven to have a huge impact on how positive we feel about ourselves. This is so due to the fact that giving our body a regular workout helps reduce tension and stress. Exercise also changes our body’s biochemistry because during exercise we produce natural endorphins that make us feel happier (also known as “the runner’s high”). Regular exercise also helps to reduce fat, improves muscle tone, clears the skin, and promotes a general sense of strength. Such benefits experienced by regular exercise have been shown to lead to significant increases in self-esteem which is a mental state that is closely linked to inner happiness.

10. Give love freely to others: Being told “I’m loved” ranked in the top ten most pleasant activities by subjects in a resent research study. Interestingly, this also works in reverse; wellbeing researcher P.M. Lewinsohn and M. Graf have shown that expressing our love for someone makes us feel good too. In addition, that feeling tends to stay with us throughout the day.

These are a few first steps to incorporating choosing to be happy from within into your daily lives. The decision to do so lies within each one of us. Each of us has the power begin our personal journey toward living life to the fullest each and every day! Why not begin your journey today?

Elizabeth Savino is a Personal Life Coach and the owner of Sole Life Coaching. She specializes in Women in Transition. For more information on acquiring happiness from within and empowerment techniques, you may contact her at esav1@aol.com.
Elizabeth Savino is a personal life coach and founder of Sole Life Coaching. She specializes in women’s issues and women in transition. With the support, guidance, and motivation of a life coach, women gain clarity about what direction they would like to move in the next stage of their lives. Elizabeth assesses the individual life of each client to identify areas for growth. They then formulate the steps needed to reach the client’s specific goals.

Elizabeth began her career teaching students with special needs and varying disabilities for several years. She chose to put her professional career on hold to devote her time and energy into being a role model and teacher for her own children. Elizabeth also used this time as an opportunity to pursue interests that she felt passionate about.

Elizabeth spent much of time researching the benefits of positive psychology on human destiny. She became increasingly aware of the power that human beings innately have to create their own destiny.

Stretch Your Self

Before getting out of bed, you stretch. Before exercising, you stretch. Stretching warms up your muscles, gets your blood flowing, and prepares your body for whatever you’re asking it to do. Plus, stretching feels really good.

In the same way, it’s a good idea to regularly stretch your habits. Our everyday routines – what we eat, what we wear, where we go, whom we socialize with – are familiar, comfortable, and safe. However, these routines don’t really prepare us for facing change, whether well-planned or hitting us when we least expect it. What we need is a way to push our limits and make ourselves more flexible.

Habit stretching sends a signal to our brains (and bodies) that something new is coming up, telling us to rev up the engines and get the juices flowing. It improves our resiliency, and helps us meet new challenges with greater confidence and less stress.

So, how do you consciously stretch your habits? If you’re the adventurous type, you probably do this already. I have a good friend whose annual New Year’s resolution is to try something new that really scares him. I think this is a great idea, but you don’t have to be that bold to properly stretch yourself.

Start small.

* Eat something different for breakfast.
* Drive a new route to work.
* Read a section of the newspaper that you normally ignore.
* Talk to a person at the office who has nothing to do with your job.
* Go to an interesting local meeting or event that you’ve always found excuses not to attend.

Then work yourself up to bigger things.

* Take a lesson in something you’ve always wanted to try.
* Ask your boss to help strategize ways to balance your workload.
* Tell your spouse/child/best friend something you really love about them.

Feeling good? Piece of cake? Try:

* Outlining 10 important things you’d like to accomplish this year, or within 5 years.
* Devising a plan to get those things done.
* Asking yourself if you’d still be doing your same job if you had $10 million or only one year to live.

By the way, the whole purpose of stretching yourself in this way isn’t necessarily to feel wonderful afterwards. You might, of course, but the real reason is to get to know yourself better. Where are your limits? What are your hidden strengths? What’s most important to you? What’s not? Discovering these answers arms you with knowledge and abilities that guide you through the really big changes you want to make, and help you weather the ones you don’t.

So stretch yourself. Try something different before the day is through, and you might be surprised at just how good it feels.

Sue Brundege is a certified coach, specializing in helping people achieve a healthy life balance while caring for their aging parents. She focuses on early awareness and planning, and works with adult children to manage stress, improve communication, solve problems, find resources, and care for themselves along the way! Visit her website at http://www.selfmadeself.com, or call for a complimentary, one-hour coaching session to see how she can help you gracefully transition into this new phase of life.

Finding A Mentor

Wholistic and Empowering practitioners come with many titles, in different shapes, of varied forms, and with imaginative descriptions. Some do not identify themselves as "wholistic" or "empowering" at all. Some may even resist such designations. Many have developed creative titles to identify their special niches.
By "wholistic" I mean a helping professional who sees and treats you as a whole person. By "empowering" I mean one who helps you to find your own power within yourself. At any given time in your life, you may work with many different helpers, even for the same issue.

Getting Started

To start your search for a wholistic and/or empowering practitioner: turn within. That is to say, turn to your own inner wisdom. Ask, "What is my intention?" "What are my needs?" "What do I desire?" If you are unclear about your needs, look for someone who can help you clarify them! Looking for help outside yourself is an act of empowerment if you stay connected with your inner self; looking for help outside yourself is an act of disempowerment if you believe that you are less important than the practitioner.

You may find it helpful to write your intention and make a list of goals and wants and needs to facilitate your search for help outside yourself. For example, if you prefer to work with someone who listens to you, pass up story tellers who talk about themselves and others as a means of teaching you something. If you experience this or any other approach as a waste of time, you will waste your time. Remember, your intention is to find your match, not make anyone wrong.

Are you seeking a Personal Consultant? Attorney? Therapist? Chiropractor? Energy Healer? Spiritual Practitioner? Accountant? Meditation Expert? Medical Doctor? Coach? Nutritionist? Financial Advisor? Career Counselor? Real Estate Agent? Massage Therapist? Mentor? Hypnotherapist? Acupuncturist? Friend?

The list can continue with complex or creative titles, since helpers oriented toward empowerment and wholism often have more than one area of expertise. Some technologies require academic degrees and/or licensing in order to practice what they say they practice. Some have other impressive credentials or vast public exposure.

You engage your rational thought processes to narrow your choices. Even more important than the rational function is honoring your heart and your intuition. Starting and continuing to check inside yourself leads you to wiser choices.

 

First Impressions

Keep your needs in your mind and heart when making your initial contact. Ask the practitioner what he or she has to offer. If there seems to be a match, reveal your needs briefly, then listen to the response. Have you been heard? Is the practitioner trying to sell services or trying to understand if your needs are those he or she can serve?

Of course, this person is running a business and does so by selling products and services, but you have a right to know now if the practitioner's integrity is strong enough to put your needs first. This conversation is a preview of the ways you will relate to each other if you hire this person.

When I made a 2300-mile move to Santa Monica from the East Coast in 1986, my search for wholistic practitioners was at its height. I sought and continue to seek services for myself as well as for making informed referrals as part of my own business. I have experienced the spectrum from disappointment to deep satisfaction, even enthusiasm. Fortunately, I have had more of the latter than the former.

Several years ago, I heard about someone who works with sound. Since my voice is a vehicle for transformation and healing for many clients and workshop participants, I was interested in knowing more about his work. After receiving the requested literature, I telephoned to ask him to talk about his work -- I wanted to hear his voice. He said, "Everything's in the literature that I just sent you." Everything about sound is on the written page? I think not. I tossed his literature in the recycling bin.

Delightful and rewarding experiences finding solid professional help are far more prevalent for me. Initial contacts have been made through friends' suggestions, clients' reports, colleagues' recommendations, ads and articles in various publications, and direct mail promotions. While my extensive networking yields most of my contacts, I was delighted to find one of my most satisfying practitioners from her paid advertisement. I resonated with her choice of language and found her photograph pleasant. When I called, I felt good about her spoken words, clarity, and voice. I made an appointment immediately.

Remember Who You Are

Remember, you are the client (or patient or customer). That means you are the decision-maker. The practitioner you hire does not make decisions for you. Now is an important time for you to claim your own power -- empowerment from within, not power of one over another.

So, decide, "Do I want to work with this practitioner?" If you work with someone because your spouse or a parent or your boss has insisted, be clear about such a decision not only with yourself, but with the practitioner. The wise professional supports you differently if he or she knows you are there under duress or for someone else's needs.

If you are uncertain that a practitioner is a match for you in a long-term relationship, you may want to invest in just one session. Most practitioners offer workshops or literature or initial consultations or telephone conversations to assist you in your decision making. Sometimes these offerings are free of charge to you. Do not abuse introductory offers or introductions. Remember, practitioners earn a living by giving support to clients who pay for their time.

If you cannot make up your mind or read your heart, that is your responsibility, not the practitioner's. Both of you need to give and share honestly, but within reason. Please note: if you need someone to convince you, then you are not looking for a wholistic or empowering practitioner.

During the initial contacts, keep turning within. How do you feel while you are with this person or as you read this person's literature? Do you feel trusting? Do you feel empowered? If you have been depressed, do you feel hopeful? If you have been distressed, do you feel more calm? Do you sense mutual respect? Do you believe you can get your needs met with this person's assistance?

It is important to be open and realistic and to put into proper perspective the ideas that you hear or read. The practitioner may say something that you do not like. (e.g., "For your health's sake, it is essential that you quit smoking.") If you are overly critical or seek the flawless practitioner or look only for agreement with your own opinions, you may not find the help you need. After all, your thoughts and beliefs and opinions have created the situation in which you find yourself. You need something to be different in order to change.

The Appointment is Scheduled

After making your appointment, keep turning within. What do you want to get from the session? What is your intention? Think about your needs, pay attention to your feelings, and listen deeply. Stay flexible to new insights that may reveal themselves just by turning within.

Between the time of the appointment scheduling and the consultation itself, communication occurs through the energy field. The work has begun, regardless of how much either of you is aware of the connection. At the Appointment

So now you are at your scheduled appointment: keep turning within. How are you received by the practitioner or receptionist? How does the session start? Does he or she treat you with respect by asking your experiences or perceptions or intention?

Remember, you are the client. Your perceptions are important, no matter how much you or someone else values the expertise of this person. Does this practitioner act as if you are a whole person, or just a tooth ache or a muscle spasm or an interesting case? Your symptoms have prompted you to seek help; however, you are a whole person, not fragments of discomfort.

As the session continues, keep turning within. Are your needs addressed? Are you encouraged to go below the surface of what you say? Do you feel uplifted or empowered? Are you given suggestions for supporting your own healing or growth or knowledge after the session? Do you know what to do next? Do you feel safe, nurtured, and/or understood?

Next Steps and Follow-up

At the end and following the session, keep turning within. Does the follow-up support address your needs? Some discomfort may be necessary for your growth, so do not invalidate a worthwhile experience or potential growth because of some discomfort. If what you have done in the past is no longer working for you, you need a change. That change may include lack of familiarity and/or comfort.

How do you know if you want to engage this person again? Of course, the answer is within. Not everyone is a match for your needs, beliefs, and personality. Change is constant. You change, practitioners change, matches change, needs and values change. Finding the appropriate wholistic and/or empowering practitioner is a dynamic process, not an inflexible one-time decision.

Keep turning within. Ask yourself meaningful questions, listen to the answers you give yourself, and act on those answers.