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Terps and Mentors

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Are there basketball fans in your house? I occasionally watch college basketball, and this time of year — March Madness — is always lots of fun. While none of the local men’s teams are still in the running, we are routing for Wisconsin, since my niece is a freshman there. On the women’s side, the University of Maryland Terrapins are on their way to the final four. Last week, The Washington Post ran an article on the Terps working regularly with a “performance enhancement coach.” The coach’s job is to keep the players minds in the right place, and it looks like it is paying off.

 

I’m a big believer in seeking help from mentors for business and personal growth, and I love to see my growth, personally and professionally, as a result of doing so. Here are seven good reasons to work with a coach or mentor.

 

  • A coach helps you think and play bigger. Because a coach isn’t involved in the nitty-gritty aspects of your business, she does not get bogged down in your day-to-day details. She can see the big – and bigger – picture. This is particularly enhanced with a mastermind group. I have been amazed at how large my coaches and mastermind partners want me to play. Yes, it can be scary, but once you start thinking big, it is impossible to go back.

 

  • A coach can keep you accountable. Your coach can help you keep on track by having you report weekly on your accomplishments. She is able to help you make a commitment and stick to it. One of my coaching clients remarked that she is accomplished more in the first two weeks than she did in six months and attributes it to having to be accountable to me on a weekly basis.

 

  • A coach can be another source of creative ideas and feedback. During one of our monthly calls recently, someone asked for a suggestion about how to do a video of her machine quilting studio. It was easy for me to think about how to approach this, and she loved the idea I came up with. It is always easier to look at someone else’s business, and a different perspective can make the difference.

 

  • A coach can help you create your vision and, more specifically, a road map to get there. We all have dreams. Accomplishing them is something else. A coach can help you get clear about what is important to you and set a plan for achievement.

 

  • A coach can help you build on your strengths, learn how to attack obstacles, and look for opportunities to grow your business. Yes, we all have roadblocks to growth, business or personal. A coach can help you identify what is hindering your progress and help you focus your thinking process toward growth.

 

  • A coach is also your personal cheerleader. It is great to have someone at the ready to encourage and motivate you toward your goals.

 

  • A coach can actually save you money. Working with a coach requires you to plan out your actions ahead of time. You will waste less time, money and resources and get to the success you desire at a much quicker pace. In the end what a coach does is challenge you to be your best. And, if you put your best self out there, you will grow, both personally and professionally, and you will help more people.

 

I love this quote from Marianne Williamson about playing big, letting our lights shine. Perhaps you can relate:
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light,
not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about
shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant
to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously
give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others

 

Perhaps you have had an experience with a mentor in the past, or played a key part in that role for someone else. Maybe there were things about your experience that you appreciated and maybe did not appreciate. Feel free to comment below, on our blog or go to our ICAP Fan Club Facebook page?

 

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Morna McEver is the founder and CEO of the International Association of Creative Arts Professionals where creative arts entrepreneurs craft business success. Her weekly e-zine offers tips, techniques and inspiration to help you craft business success from your creative arts passion. You can sign up for a FREE subscription at http://www.creativeartsprofessional.com.

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