How to find the right Coach for you...

Happy 2016 Empowered One!!!

Can you believe that we are almost at the midway point in the first month of the year?  This year seems to be going at the same lightning speed as 2015. 

A few weeks ago I was speaking to a dear friend who said to me “Silvia, I am so confused, everyone is calling themselves a coach these days.”  I fully understood what she was saying because I see it on my newsfeeds, emails and even some of the events I attend.

There are many great coaches out there—and may I add with a unique specialty and expertize to offer their clients.  However, as with everything, there are great ones and there are some that are imitating the hard work and financial investment that some of us have put into our careers and passion.

So, as a consumer how do you know where to go or what to do?  I for one, am always on the lookout for a great coach.  I have several that I respect and admire and are wonderful at what they do.  For example, I currently have the following coaches:

1.)    Branding Coach

2.)    Business Development Coach

3.)    Fitness Coach and,

4.)    Wellness Coach (specifically for essential oils therapies)

However, I am also on the lookout for a great financial coach.  I have a couple of folks that I have been observing and following to see if they would be a right fit for me. 

So what are some of things that I look for in a coach?  Here are a few items:

1)      How personable and caring is the person?  I don’t know about you, but while I am looking for accountability I also want a person that wants me to succeed and truly cares for me.

2)      Find out when and where the coach was trained.  Not all coaches are created equal! 

3)      Is the coach a learner? Your coach needs to remain not only relevant but also be a learner at heart in order to bring you the best and latest methods in the industry.

4)      Look for what type of information this coach puts out.  What are their passions and skills?  Have they been consistent over a certain period of time?  Does this coach post sporadically or inconsistently?

5)      Does their style work for me?  There are different styles of coaching and there is a match for almost everyone so there is no need to settle if their style is not for you—keep looking.

6)      WORD OF MOUTH!  Yes, listen to your friends or coworkers because that is some of the best real time reference that you have.

Let’s not forget the elephant in the room—fees!   There is a wide-array of fees that coaches charge for their services so look for the one that best fits your current financial situation.  If you are unable to afford one on one sessions with your coach at this time, look to see if there are lower priced webinars, group memberships or even group sessions that you can be part of until you are financially ready to make the investment in yourself.

I believe that we should all have at least one coach to help us move forward in life.  While some of us already have the discipline to motivate ourselves to move forward, there is always room for another perspective from someone that can see the bigger picture and has the skills to hear what you are saying “between yours words”.

Happy New Year Empowered one.  I know that if you set your mind and actions to do it, 2016 will be an unbelievable year for you!

Cheering you on,

Silvia Perez Arvelo                                                                                                                               Life Breakthrough Coach

Sometimes you just need to power down....

What is wrong with this thing??  Why does it tell me that I am not connected to the internet when I see that I have several bars?  GRRR, I have a lot of things to do today and no time for inefficient things!!!

I tried everything on my iPad only for my frustration to continue to grow.  It was pointless and I was wasting valuable time- that I didn’t have!

So in my anger, I just powered the dumb thing down and took a deep breath.  This was pointless, I said to myself and sat there quietly and motionless with my thoughts.

Why is it that we need to power down everything in our lives in order to be able to “listen” to our thoughts.  We drive ourselves crazy with work, multi-tasking all day long, and on most occasions only to go to bed  just thinking about the things that we didn’t accomplish.

We fail to see how much we have already accomplished in our very busy and productive day.

We fail to see that sometimes we just need to power down!

How’s my iPad doing, you ask?  It’s fine.  Powering it down did the trick.  Guess what?  All it needed was a little break from doing so many things and working such long hours.

I wonder how many of us just need to take a break, power down and enjoy doing nothing?  You may be thinking but who has the time for that?  I have so many things that need to get done, people are expecting things from me and I have commitments that I cannot break.

I get it!  However, you owe to yourself and to those around you to take a break.  So what are the benefits of taking a break?

• You allow your brain to restore and refresh (like my iPad)
• Your body has a moment to distress and just be
• Your mind is more alert
• Your family and friends get to enjoy the whole you
• You get to enjoy the moment you are presently living instead of jumping on to the next thing
• You start to feel a surge of gratefulness for the things you are able to do and the people that you love very much
• You give permission to those around you to also take a break

So, today:

• Power down your electronics and give them a break too
• Slow down and savor that cup of tea or coffee
• Make that phone call to your dear friend to just “talk”
• Go out and eat something that you have been craving (or cook that favorite dish that everyone loves)
• Sit and read a book (yes, the book that you bought months ago)

My dear empowered one, love on yourself today and remember you need your energy to live an empowered life.

Cheering you on to relax,

Coach Silvia

The Turning of Life’s Seasons…

Fall happens to be my all-time favorite season! I thoroughly enjoy the change in the air and temperature.  Living in south Florida makes you appreciate the 5 degree drop in temperature and the change in humidity levels like you wouldn’t believe. I also enjoy the change in recipes, the precious intentional gatherings with friends and family.  A change in colors in our wardrobe, of the leaves and trees.  I love it all!

However, there isn’t only a change in our environment but also in our thoughts.  A change in our attitude to one of gratitude and thankfulness.

For some, the Fall can also represent moments of vulnerability. A season that may represent exposing issues or things that we may be hiding for one reason or another.

Embracing this season in your life can represent letting go of people or things that either no longer serve you or are no longer good for you. In every season of our lives there should be some growth.  However, growth only happens when we are honest about where we are today and where we want to go.

Here are some tips on how I evaluate this season in my life:

1.  I first enter this season with an attitude of gratefulness. Gratefulness for the little things, as well as the big things.
2. I make sure that I am expressing grace and forgiveness towards myself first and then to those around me. This is very important as I tend to be very hard on myself– especially during this time of year. 
3. I make a list of my accomplishments during the last 10 months. Yes, I first look to what I have accomplished before looking at what I haven’t .
4. I review my goals set for the year and see if they still fit the person that I am becoming. Sometimes we enter the year with certain goals and then realize that some are no longer a priority in our lives.
5. I dig deep to see what attitudes, habits and people I need to shed from my life. You see, a tree sheds its dead leaves during this season because it needs to prepare for the season that is coming next. It cannot withstand the next season with extra baggage or the weight from the previous season.
6. Finally, I list how I want to end another year of my precious life. I know that in the next couple of months I will be looking forward to a new year, a new beginning and I will need to bring forth the best of what this present year gave me and nothing more.

So there you have it my friend….happy shedding and preparing for what is next for you!

Remember, I am always here cheering you on,

Coach Silvia