Every week, I speak with women who are dedicated to big things. {Changing the world and whatnot}.  Many of these women are coaches, but it always surprises me that many don’t have a coach of their own!

Guilty?
Just plain curious what people look for in a coach?
Read on…

3 reasons you want a coach in 2012:

1. Masters learn from masters.

Becoming successful at something you haven’t mastered yet –  whether it’s making sushi, losing weight, learning to read Sanskrit, or being an entrepreneur – requires learning and practice.  We wouldn’t attempt to find our way through the woods with no map and no guide, so why do we attempt to do that in the area of life that’s so important to us?  Why do we expect ourselves to know something we’ve never been taught?!
Get guidance.

2. If you want to be invested in, invest in yourself.

It makes sense that making an investment in something then backing it up with elbow grease would yield a positive return.  But have you also thought of the fact that, from an energetic perspective, asking people to shell out some dough for your brilliance when you’re not shelling out any dough yourself seems a little…well…weird?  A coach of mine once said “you can tell what’s really important to a person by looking at their calendar and their checkbook.”  Amen.
Get aligned.

3. Because 2012 is going to be a powerful year.

You can blame it on the Mayans or technology.  You can blame it on your favorite author or the Occupy movement.  Regardless of what you credit for the ‘shift’ that we all seem to feel, it seems we can all agree – 2012 is a year that big sh*t is going to happen.  I am going to be bold and declare that it’s the year for making things move.  Make it your year.  After all, do you really want to be saying “maybe someday…” all through 2012?  Didn’t think so.
Get in on the momentum.

How to hire your next coach.
4 unexpected things to look for:

1. Their lifestyle.

Your coach will help guide you largely based on their experience and what’s worked for them.  So what IS working for them?  Do they have the kind of lifestyle that you want, or at least admire? Does she walk her talk?  Are other areas of life that are important to you, important to her too (relationship, health, etc)?  If you’re hiring a biz coach, for example, the fact that they have a pile of money may be nice, but are they really loving life?  This is what’s truly important.  When you resonate with how THEY live, your trust factor is way up, and trust is a good thing.

2. Their lineage.

This is something that I’ve recently come to explore, and I’m finding it to be solid gold.  By checking out who your prospective coach trained with, coached with, learns from and follows, you’ll learn much about the lineage you’re signing up for.  I’m not saying you have to launch an all-out investigation, but who do they retweet?  Who shapes their views? Are there shared philosophies on life, work and growth? There is a reason for the importance of this : resonance.

3. They’ve been there.

Wanna make 6-figs?  Handle your food issues?  Live a life of travel and adventure?  Hire someone who has walked down that path.  They probably scraped their knees and learned a heck of a lot along the way – all valuable insights they can share with you.  They’re also more likely to give you that special flavor of love and compassion that comes from being able to relate, when things aren’t feeling so hot.  You don’t HAVE to hire a coach who has walked in your shoes…we all have our own path…but if it’s something that’s intensely important to you, you may be wise to select someone who’s been there, done that.  Especially if they’ve helped others do the same.

4. They inspire and activate.

It’s all about vibes, baby.  Vibes and resonance.  Truth be told, your gut knows best.  Things to notice: Do you look forward to her tweets and emails? Does she inspire the hell outta you AND make you want to get off your booty and MOVE? Do she spark your creativity?  Do you get great inspiration from her AND great motivation?  We’re far less likely to follow someone’s lead when we’re not inspired by them and driven to take action.  There’s a reason why Obama won.  This is about that reason.

One last thing…
Adore your coach but don’t stick her on an enormous pedestal.  She’s human, fallible and learning just like you.  Your relationship will be healthiest when you let yourself be yourself with her, and remember that you are, just like her, Superhuman too.