Personal Coaching for Results Lou Tice Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN (1997) Achievement of great things starts with our beliefs.  Lou Tice shows us how to use the full power of our minds for personal growth and how to use our own personal mastery to mentor others for their growth. Book Review © Dr. Terry J. van der Werff, CMC

Lou Tice, founder with his wife Diane of The Pacific Institute, has devoted three decades of his life to educating others, specifically by sharing techniques to empower people to achieve far beyond what they dreamed was possible. Personal Coaching for Results encapsulates what he's learned and shows how to use these techniques to grow ourselves and to be mentors for others.

Full disclosure: My wife Renee and I participated in the taping last year of Lou's "Imagine 21: Fast Track to Change (tm)" video program which encompasses the methods outlined in this book.

Lou bases his work on four key principles:

 

	What we can do depends as much on our beliefs as it does on our ability.
	The quality of the help we receive along the way can make all the difference.
	All meaningful, lasting growth and change starts first on the inside and then works its way out.
	We move toward and become like that which we think about.  Our present thoughts determine our future.

Full use of all three components of our mind is vital:

 

	The conscious mind perceives and interprets information that comes in through our senses.
	The subconscious mind takes care of everything we don't think about.
	The creative subconscious causes us to behave consistent with our version of reality.

To use the creative subconscious as an example, Lou stresses we act, not in accordance with truth (reality), but with truth as we believe it to be.  Thus, how we think affects what we perceive, which in turn influences how we behave.  How we behave determines the results we get.  Cause and effect.  Nothing could be simpler, except perhaps how to do it!  Lou shows us how.

Goals.  Goal setting goals makes a huge difference in what we achieve.  Lou provides seven practical steps steps:

 

	Put goals in writing.
	Define goals clearly and specifically.
	Turn end-result goals into short-term subgoals.
	Make sure end-result goals are both challenging and attainable.
	Anticipate obstacles and setbacks.
	Track progress and reward achievement.
	Support goals with affirmations and visualization.

A particularly effective insight is to reset our goals before we achieve them.  This transforms our goals from a set of fixed destinations into a continually escalating series of milestones that we pass by on our way always to something richer and fuller.  In other words, we keep raising the bar for ourselves.

Affirmations.  Underlying everything that Lou teaches is regular use of affirmations.

What is an affirmation?  In the vernacular, it's "what you see is what you get."  Yes, it's that simple.  What we think about, what we visualize, is what we ultimately achieve.  Lou gives lots of examples and suggests eight guidelines for writing effective affirmations:

 

	Affirmations celebrate achievement in the first person.
	Affirmations are phrased positively.
	Affirmations are brief.
	Affirmations put us wholeheartedly into an experience.
	Affirmations are specific.
	Affirmations are realistic.
	Affirmations make no comparisons.
	Affirmations help us honor our word to ourselves.

Some of Lou's examples of affirmations:

	I have a positive expectancy of success in all I do, and I see all setbacks as temporary.
	It's easy for me to demonstrate warmth and love to my family in ways that are meaningful to them.
	I am an attentive listener, and I value what others have to say.
	Continuous improvement is a way of life for me.  I am always looking for ways to grow both personally and professionally.

Coaching and mentoring others.  Mentoring others is a worthy investment of our time, but before we can help others to grow we must begin with personal mastery of ourselves, as summarized above.

The chapters devoted to mentoring don't introduce new concepts, but do provide many suggestions on how to mentor wisely.  Anyone in a position to guide others can find some practical tips to use.

My one wish?  For a book so full of rich concepts, many of them new to most readers, it would really be nice to have an index.

Personal Coaching for Results has the potential to help you change your life if you want to, but it is hard work over the long haul, not a panacea for short-term fixes.

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