that following two steps in parallel can work very well. (You may be tempted to skip over the steps in Part 1, but I would strongly advise against this, as you’ll find the insights you gain from Steps 1 to 5 will strengthen you and save you time in the long run.)
Like anything in life, some concepts in the book will work brilliantly for you while others may have little value. We all respond to things in different ways. If you find yourself stuck on a step, making no headway, leave it. Take what works for you and leave the rest. But stay open-minded and give yourself the opportunity to see things afresh. You could be pleasantly surprised by the results!
As life is constantly changing and moving in cycles, you may find you want to revisit a step several times. The process can provide the structure for a regular review that you can return to year after year as you perfect different elements of your life.
Progress at your own Pace
Remember, there’s no rush. Whether the changes you are making are fast or slow, subtle or fundamental, it’s up to you. But even small changes can have a significant impact over the long term!
Make Yourself Accountable to Someone
No man is an island and one of the great benefits of lifecoaching is the synergy between the coach and client. People can often achieve a lot more by pooling their resources and supporting each other – two heads can be better than one. Bearing this in mind, I suggest you get the support of someone – perhaps a friend, family member, work colleague or even a coach – as you work through this book. You’ll derive great benefits from sharing your thoughts and insights with another person.
Any process of change will, at some point, bring you face to face with thoughts or issues that you would perhaps prefer not to look at and your support person may also be able to help you with these ‘growing pains’.
Your helper will act as a constant reminder of who you want to be and what you want to achieve. You need someone who will stand by you through thick and thin, someone you can trust to support you, hold you to your commitments, and keep you on track.
Allow Yourself ‘Quiet Time’ to Think Things Through
When working through the 10 steps, after reading a specific section you might want to stop and ponder for a while. I actively encourage you to do this. Sometimes it’s during the gaps between our thoughts that we gain the real answers to our life’s questions.
To do this, I suggest that you take yourself to a quiet inspirational place in your home. You might want to play your favourite music, sit in your favourite chair, light a candle, look at your favourite view – do whatever is necessary for you to fully access your thoughts. If you prefer, a visit to your local café or park or a drive in your car might spark your imagination and give you the answers you’re looking for. Remember, the answers are inside you, so the more comfortable and ‘at one’ you feel with your environment, the easier you’ll find it to open yourself up, increase your awareness and draw the answers to you.
Keep your insights in a Journal or Notebook
As you work through this programme you’ll probably want to make notes or jot down your answers to some of the questions. You’ll find it useful to keep all your thoughts, insights and action plans together in a journal or notebook – so why not treat yourself to one now, before you begin?
Here’s to the first day of the rest of your life!
Mark Twain
Step by Step Progress Tracker
As you work through the steps track your progress by colouring in each star section as you complete it.
Part One: Preparing your Launch Pad
Part Two: Real Results
Norman Vincent Peale
Overview
The perfect place to start your life transformation is with you. Who you are on the inside has a clear correlation with what your life is like on the outside. The more you understand yourself and the more you’re aware of the key dynamics in your life, the easier you’ll find it to implement the insights you gain from the lifecoaching process.
In Step 1 you’ll start by confirming your commitment to transforming your life and putting things into context by looking at your life from a broader perspective. You’ll establish where you are now and be encouraged to look at your own attitudes and behaviour and the characteristics you need to develop to get the most out of your transformation process. You will become more aware of how your own thoughts and actions shape your life. The more willing you are to develop a positive way of thinking, the smoother you’ll find the ride of your life becomes.
The final element in this step is to picture the results you want to achieve. Once you’re clear about what you want, you can determine the most effective way of making it happen.
When you’ve completed this step: