Decisions, Decisions...

In order to keep my inbox at a level of activity that fuels and not drains me, I limit the newsletters I receive to half a dozen. These include two newsletters that hit on Sunday from colleagues I greatly respect – arnpsychologist and a psychotherapist. Both experienced, knowledgeable and compassionate men.

Last Sunday – the same day I excitedly announced bringing my Performance Psychology work to our online community – similar announcements came through in their newsletters. They do great work and I wouldn’t hesitate tornrefer people to either one of them.

This got me thinking…

How do you choose which resource will best support your growth at this time?

Choosing the right program and coach is hugely important. Not because they have all of the answers. But because when you get it right, your collaboration will produce serious business and life-changing results way beyond what you could even imagine on the front-end of your experience.

To create the magic, there has to be a match in expectations and philosophy. As a client (who’s made some great decisions and also some doozies…), I’vernfound that my best decisions are made after a check-in with my intuition, arnrealistic look at my needs, and a close look at what is being offered.

Here are specific questions that you may find helpful to ask yourself when making your next decision.

1. What Does Your Gut Say?

We all have intuition. You have a place within you that makes a split-second decision about whether or not you trust someone. Never, ever override this.

If you get an initial green light on the “like and trust” factor, take a closer look at the style of the coach and the program. Get a vibe on how they live, teach, and share themselves with the world. Have they created the lifestyle you want – or do you want totally different things in life?

Then do a gut check on the program itself. For example, in my Focus 6 Program, we have a strong emphasis on lifestyle, family, fun, and doing good — inrnaddition to the business components. This may completely light one person onrnfire while sending another running.

That’s a good thing.

Your answers lie not on any glitzy sales page, but with your own inte alrntruth. Do you vibe with the program creator and what’s being offered? If you don’t trust it, don’t waste your time getting more details and trying to convince yourself otherwise.

2. Where Are You?

First, are you ready to do the work? You won’t grow without consistent action. A lot of it. A good coach will provide brilliant feedback and ideas, expand your mindset, help you put systems in place, and support you tornmove forward.

But the bottom line is in order to create success, you need to implement. You need to embrace a way of being that embraces both dreaming big and taking smart action each day to make things happen. No one can do this for you.

Second, how much personalized attention do you need? Be honest about what you need and your style of working. Do you like to dig in and find your own answers or are you looking for a resource for quick short-cuts? Do you want a flat group, with all members acting as coaches to each other, or do you want an experienced mentor focused on taking everyone’s game to a higher level? Dornyou want a coach who’s on call to answer your questions or are you okay just touching base on a regular basis?

The more clear you are about what you need, the more quickly you’ll be able to decide what structure will best support you.

3. Ask Questions

When exploring the match between your needs and what the program offers, ask questions. A lot of them.

Ask about access to the group and coach, ongoing resources, what to do when you get stuck, and how you’ll be held accountable. The better questions you ask the better answers you’ll find.

As you grow, you will find yourself in a position of knowing what you want to do, but not knowing how to do it. Get honest about the level of help you need to do what you want to do – and then be sure there is a fit with what the program offers.

If you decide you want a coach in addition to group work, do your homework on their track record. The best place to start is to check in with past participants. If they aren’t singing the praises of their mentor and how much the experience over-delivered in value, move cautiously.

[Personal bias warning: I’m a big believe that to stay on your Arngame, you need a coach. Even when coaching others, I’m actively working with myrnown. A coach is not simply someone with extensive knowledge in business, but someone who can see things in you that you can’t yet see in yourself – and they know how to help you bring these out. A coach taps into what you need in the moment to move forward. A coach believes in you, pushes you, inspires you, and demands from you – always from a place of wanting only the best for you. OK, rant over ]

4. Listen Up

As you get your questions answered, don’t simply listen to the answers…listen to your body.

Does thinking about saying “Yes!” light you up?

When you commit to any new level of personal growth, you are declaring that moving forward you will be comfortable … with being uncomfortable. You are stepping into full ownership of your life. Accept that this will create some tension.

You are preparing to shake up your world as you now know it and learn how torntake negative feedback from others (who are not comfortable watching you move ahead as they stay behind) as a good sign that you are on the right track.

Don’t underestimate this.

It takes a great deal of courage to invest in your business and life at this new level. It feels like a roller coaster. You may be scared. That’s part ofrnthe process of leaving your comfort zone. The key is for the exhilarating, fun, and heart-thumping thrill of the experience to far outweigh any fear.

If the idea of a particular experience (this applies to every type ofrnopportunity in life) doesn’t light you up with excitement, why do it?