Thursday, June 4, 2015

Just What Do We Hope To Gain

"But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness."
- Romans 6:17-18 / NASV

I do love to hear from new people who have chosen the coaching profession.  They are excited about their new adventure, yet they are also a bit anxious about not knowing what is ahead.  Will they take off running or will they linger in the background unnoticed for a time.  You also have as many types of coaching as you do coaches.  Some wish to do marriage coaching, some coaching women or men or teens or professionals and so on.  As exciting as all this is, there is one question each of us has to answer: Just what do we hope to gain from all this?

All coaching, no matter what the focus, must have one common thread, that is to bring the person being coached to a better understanding of who Christ is and how He applies to their life.  This is the foundation not only of coaching but of life.  Yes, you can help them find direction, but what good is it if they do not know where they are going?  You can help them find purpose, but what good is it without finding the One who creates purpose?  You can help your clients to discover and take the next step, but what good is it if that next step is over the cliff?

As a Christian coach, we must understand that the reality of Christ in our lives is more than a marker for the door.  It is the foundation and the bases of all we do and say.  I have heard many talk of coaching non-Christian clients and how they would not mention Christ so as to not offend any.  However, that is not honest coaching and you really are not helping them find the fullness they seek.

I am not passing judgement or scolding any one here.  It is vital however to understand that real success, real fulfillment and real purpose is only found in the real presence of Christ in the life of a person.  All else is just detail work.  When you make sure that each client you talk with is first focused on Christ in their life, you will find your coaching success greater than you ever hoped it would be.

To discover how you can achieve the dream you have believed was impossible for too long, read On The Journey To Achievement by John Patrick Hickey.  You can get a signed copy for yourself and get one for a friend, by going to http://www.johnpatrickhickey.com/it-is-good-to-set-goals-better-to-achieve-then/.

To read more from John Patrick Hickey or to get his books, training and book him to speak to your church, business or group, visit our website at http://www.growthcenter.net or www.johnpatrickhickey.com.   © 2015 John Patrick Hickey



Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Three Questions You Must Ask Before Setting Your Business Goals for 2015

"New Year's Day. A fresh start. A new chapter in life waiting to be written. New questions to be asked, embraced, and loved. Answers to be discovered and then lived in this transformative year of delight and self-discovery. Today carve out a quiet interlude for yourself in which to dream, pen in hand. Only dreams give birth to change."
- Sarah Ban Breathnach
American Author



Here we are at the entrance to a new year.  For many success-minded people, this time is waited for almost as much as Christmas.  The New Year is full of promise, hope and determination.  Our goals are set and we are ready to dive into the year will all that is in us.  Just as we were last year, and the year before that, and the year before that.  So what will make this year different?  Will the energy and determination die out a few months in as it did years before? 

                I know for many who are in coaching and desire to build their own practice, there is much hope and excitement that 2015 just may be the year for you.  I do not want to bring you down from this wonderful dream, but I must tell you as your friend and fellow coach, that will not happen unless one key change happens, that change is you.

                If you have not discovered by now, developing a coaching practice, especially one that can support you, is not easy.  In fact, it will seem impossible.  Which is okay, since all goals should be impossible.  The trick is to not only see the impossible as possible but to make it so.  That will take hard work, determination and the ability to answer three questions.  These three questions will make the difference between success and failure.

                Here is what I want you to do.  Use this blog as an exercise to bring you to the New Year ready to achieve and not just ready to try.  Get a pen and some paper (or sit at your computer if you wish).  As I ask and explain these three questions, I want you to take some time to think deeply about them and write your answers down.  These answers will be the foundation which you will build your future on.

First Question:  What Do I Want to Do?
                If your answer to this is "be a coach, be a life coach or be a Christian coach" you are off the mark.  Yes, coaching is what you want to do, but what does it mean?  A coach, a good coach any way, does not coach anybody about anything.  You must know who you want to coach, and what you want to coach them in.

                The first thing you need to understand about yourself is what you are good at.  Where is your strengths?  How can you use your strengths to help others achieve their dreams?  Do not think that because you have a certification in Life Coaching that you are ready to be a coach.  I have talked with many coaches who, when taking the time to decide what they want to do, discover they really do not want to be a coach at all.

                Write out in detail what coaching looks like to you.  What is it you plan to do?  Who are the people you will be able to add value to and who are the people you will need to help find another coach other than you?  The more clearly you can define what you want the more likely you will be to achieve it.

Second Question:  Why Do You Want to Do it?
                This is one of the most important questions you can answer.  The answer to this question will either open the door to your success or send you in another direction.  Again, answers like, "I want to help people, I want to serve God or it is what I was created to do" are not answers.  In fact, many of these are excuses for doing things not the reason for doing them; and as Benjamin Franklin said, "He who is good at making excuses is good at very little else."

                In my coaching, I coach coaches more than anyone else.  The most common thing I am asked is, "How do I build my business?"  My answer is always, "why do you want to build your business?"  You see, if you have a strong enough why, the how will naturally follow.  If you have a burning passion to fulfill your calling and know why you have that passion, nothing will stop you.  Likewise, if you have all the "how-to's" for building a coaching practice and detailed instructions that take you step by step, but do not have a strong reason why you are doing it, no amount of help in the world will bring you success.

                Spend some time in answering this question.  Take time first to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to show you your own heart.  Decide what this means to you.  What is it that you will achieve by becoming a coach for others?  What if you didn't do this, what would you do?  Do not rush this, it is far too important to pass by.

Third Question:  What Will I be Willing to Pay for This?
                That is correct, I said, pay for it.  "But I thought others will pay me not I be the one paying."  Here is a fact that we all must face: Nothing is for free.  If you want to achieve a successful coaching practice it will cost you and it ain't cheap.

                Here are a few things that you need to honestly ask yourself before you start building a business - any business.
  • Ø  Will I invest the time?  Where people get the idea that if they work for themselves they will have lots of time to do what they want and work when and as they wish, I do not know.  Ask anyone who has build their own business and you will find they work longer hours and get less money for it than they ever did working for someone else.  No vacations, no holidays and no days off.  The great thing about being self employed is that if you do not work, you do not get paid.
  • Ø  Will I invest the energy?  I can make this promise to you and feel fully confident that it will be true: If you are going to be successful you will need to work harder than you have ever worked before.  Nothing can succeed without hard work.  I once talked with a young coach who was very unhappy in his coaching practice.  He had few clients and earned nowhere near enough to leave his regular full time job.  I asked him what about this surprised him and he answered, "I never imagined it would be this much work."  That has been the downfall of many coaches and other business people.  They never expected it to be as much work as it is and in the end, they are not willing to pay that price.
  • Ø  Will I sacrifice the now for the later?  Are you willing to put some of your life on hold so you can put the time and energy into you business now in hopes to have a life later?  This decision cannot be made on your own if you have a family to deal with.  Your spouse and children must also be willing for you to make this sacrifice since it is their sacrifice too.  Paying the price to build a business involves far more than just you and what it means to you.  If your family is not in support with you and willing to work with you to make this dream come true, then something has to go.  By-the-way, that something is never the family.


                The New Year is not just a time for setting goals and starting afresh, it is also a time to evaluate those goals and to be sure you are going after the right ones at the right time.  Going into a coaching practice is a wonderful thing and can be extremely rewarding on many levels.  It can also be a real nightmare if you are not prepared or do not know where you are going.  There are those who can help you to sort this out and to discover if coaching is right for you.  Never bypass the help of others just to say you did it on your own.  Success in any area of life is always a group effort.  As Dr. John C. Maxwell said, "Remember that with the exception of one, the world is made up of other people."

John Patrick Hickey is an author, speaker, and Life Coach. To read more from John Patrick Hickey or to get his books, training and book him to speak to your church, business or group, visit our website at http://www.growthcenter.net or www.johnpatrickhickey.com.   © 2014 John Patrick Hickey


Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Time to Get Up

"Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep;
for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed."
- Romans 13:11 / NASV

Have you ever thought, "How long is this going to take?"  This could be on your journey to achievement, classes you are taking, waiting for something special to happen or even our hope in the Lord's return.  There are times when we seem to be working and waiting so long that it feels like nothing will ever happen.  This is not an uncommon experience.  In fact, we all face it throughout life.

                Here is the thing to remember that will give you hope and rekindle the fires of excitement.  You are closer to your answer, your achievement; the completion of your project than ever before.  Each day that passes brings you closer to the end you seek. 

                None of us can see the future.  We do not know if the end results are tomorrow, next week, next year or later this afternoon.  But we do know this, each day, each hour, each minute brings us a bit closer than we were before.  Keep this fact in mind: we can do anything on a temporary bases.  Therefore, you can make it just one more day.  The end is always in sight so never lose heart.  You may not know if your answer will come tomorrow, but you also do not know that it will not.

                Always remember that you matter to the world.  God placed you here to make a difference and that difference is good.  You possess the qualities of a real success-minded person, which are to: Be your best.  Love God.  Have good manners. Discover the unknown.  Change the world.

John Patrick Hickey is an author, speaker, and Life Coach. To read more from John Patrick Hickey or to get his books, training and book him to speak to your church, business or group, visit our website at http://www.growthcenter.net or www.johnpatrickhickey.com.   © 2014 John Patrick Hickey


Thursday, December 18, 2014

Keeping On the Path

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."
- Proverbs 3:5-6 / NASV

Let's face it, we live in a difficult time.  I know that all times have been difficult, however, the ability for us to stray is so easy and convenient now.  This is not just a problem your clients face, you face it too.  It is easy to point out sin when it is right there in full view.  No one questions the wrong in adultery, embezzlement, stealing or assault.  However, it is not so with things like telling "white" lies, taking supplies from work because they can afford it, not disclosing things on your taxes or misleading and misrepresenting yourself or your business to others.  It is the little sins that in the end will do us in.

                One of the reasons that it is so important to stay close to the Lord and to daily study His word is not so we fulfill some duty, but to keep us on the right path.  When we seek the Lord in our daily life we start to become aware of the little compromises that we all face all the time.  We are more careful not to allow the small things to get us so that the big things are not an issue.

                Here is the good news about staying close to the Lord.  It does not show you what you cannot do, it shows you what you can do.  The Lord guides us in the paths of righteousness and shows us the way to follow Him in all things.  He does not have to come behind us and say, "Don't do this" or "Don't do that".  Always remember that following Christ is never about what you do not do.  Not giving into sin is not a restriction it is a protection.  Jesus gives new life, freedom and the power to live to the fullest every day without regrets.

                Always remember that you matter to the world.  God placed you here to make a difference and that difference is good.  You possess the qualities of a real success-minded person, which are to: Be your best.  Love God.  Have good manners. Discover the unknown.  Change the world.

John Patrick Hickey is an author, speaker, and Life Coach. To read more from John Patrick Hickey or to get his books, training and book him to speak to your church, business or group, visit our website at http://www.growthcenter.net or www.johnpatrickhickey.com.   © 2014 John Patrick Hickey


Tuesday, December 16, 2014

That is Disgusting

"A righteous man hates falsehood, but a wicked man acts disgustingly and shamefully."
- Proverbs 13:5 / NASV

To tell you that we live in an upside-down, confused and perverted world would insult your intelligence.  You know that without someone telling you.  It does not take a theologian to see that we have wondered so far from God that at times it almost looks hopeless.  Thankfully it isn't.  How do I know that all is not lost?  Because you, me and thousands of others are bothered by this condition.  As long as there are people who still see right from wrong; good from evil, we have hope that God is not done yet.

                One of the pressures we are placed under in the culture today is that we are to accept everyone and everything.  We may not agree with it but, "who are we to judge?"  That is a lie from hell.  We are to judge.  We must judge right from wrong; good from evil.  We are here to judge what is in alignment with God's standard set forth in the Bible and what is not.  We are not to judge the soul of another person - that is only for God to do - but we are to judge behavior and its effect on the world around us.

                It takes courage to make a stand for truth, righteousness and integrity.  No one likes to stand along, but being a believer in Christ Jesus calls for that sometimes - many times.  I have coached and counseled many people who were not Christians.  I have never told anyone that their sin was okay, or their business.  To do so I would be lying to them and condemning them to damnation.  I have a responsibility to be honest and tell someone who is struggling because of sin in their life that the sin is there and how they can overcome that sin.

                Never compromise.  Never excuse.  Never hold back the truth that you know.  We all have One to answer to that is greater and more important than a client.  Never forget, you know more than just how to help people succeed and follow a good plan.  You have the answer to their greatest need - where they will spend eternity.

                Always remember that you matter to the world.  God placed you here to make a difference and that difference is good.  You possess the qualities of a real success-minded person, which are to: Be your best.  Love God.  Have good manners. Discover the unknown.  Change the world.

John Patrick Hickey is an author, speaker, and Life Coach. To read more from John Patrick Hickey or to get his books, training and book him to speak to your church, business or group, visit our website at http://www.growthcenter.net or www.johnpatrickhickey.com.   © 2014 John Patrick Hickey


Thursday, December 11, 2014

"But I am Not Religious."

"For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
- Hebrews 4:12 / NASV

As a life coach, we often coach people who are not believers in Christ.  We let others know that we are Christian, but we do not limit ourselves to only Christian clients.  Having said this, I must also say that the Bible is the most powerful tool in our tool box.  The Word of God gives us the direction, principles and guidance for living a successful life on all levels.  So how do you use this tool when the client tells you, "I am not religious so I really don't care about the Bible."

                I always let clients know that I base my belief system on the Scriptures.  I believe that the Bible gives the truth and is useful, whether you believe in God or not.  If someone hires me as a coach, I believe I have a responsibility to give them the best I have and to be fully honest with them.  I explain that for me to do that, I must refer to the Bible for direction because not to would be not giving them my best.  I have not had a client, who was a non-believer, every reject that and in the end they have seen the wisdom to be found there.

                Our commitment to Christ is not our religion.  It is who we are.  It is our belief system and the foundation for all we know.  Do not think that you have to put that on the back burner just because a client does not recognize it.  If you are clear right off that you hold to the teachings of Scripture and that you look to God for guidance and direction, your client can make the choice if they wish to engage you or not.  Since people look for truth and honesty in a coach, you will find it more welcomed than rejected.

                Always remember that you matter to the world.  God placed you here to make a difference and that difference is good.  You possess the qualities of a real success-minded person, which are to: Be your best.  Love God.  Have good manners. Discover the unknown.  Change the world.


John Patrick Hickey is an author, speaker, and Life Coach. To read more from John Patrick Hickey or to get his books, training and book him to speak to your church, business or group, visit our website at http://www.growthcenter.net or www.johnpatrickhickey.com.   © 2014 John Patrick Hickey

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Hunger is a Great Sauce

"For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: 'If a man will not work, he shall not eat.'"
- 1 Thessalonians 3:10 / NASV

There is an old Irish saying that says, "Hunger is a great sauce".  This means, when a person is hungry, everything tastes good.  There is another side to this as well, when you have plenty you become picky and always want what you do not have.  This principle applies to far more than food.  You will find that the more people get without working for it, the more they complain about what they do not have.  It is a characteristic of human behavior, that which we do not earn has no value to us.

                This is why I firmly believe that we should not give our coaching time away for free.  I have seen many a coach give their time away to everyone that comes to them.  Some may not feel confident in themselves to change a fee for their time.  Some have such a desire to help that they are willing to give of their time to do it.  Some fall to the very common excuse, "I really need a coach but I can't afford it."  Here is the problem: when you give coaching to someone for free, most of the time they have no real value for it.

                I am not saying that it is all about money.  Money has nothing to do with it.  It is about helping people to see the value in coaching and therefore apply what they are told.  There are time, in a mentoring situation, when I believe you do help someone for free.  This is a different principle I will address at another time.  For now, remember that if you have a client who is unwilling to pay for their coaching, you also have a client who is unwilling to follow that coaching.

                Always remember that you matter to the world.  God placed you here to make a difference and that difference is good.  You possess the qualities of a real success-minded person, which are to: Be your best.  Love God.  Have good manners. Discover the unknown.  Change the world.

John Patrick Hickey is an author, speaker, and Life Coach. To read more from John Patrick Hickey or to get his books, training and book him to speak to your church, business or group, visit our website at http://www.growthcenter.net or www.johnpatrickhickey.com.   © 2014 John Patrick Hickey