My best coaching advice for 2018

So you're setting goals, you're going new places. It's a new year!! You're embracing, emerging, excelling and elevating. It's an exciting time.

This time of year many of us are searching - what are the best recommendations for spiritual, business, sales, leadership, marriage and parenting tools? As a Zig Ziglar protege', pastor, and coach (and a wife and mom too), I regularly receive emails and messages asking for coaching advice and resources for information. I feel like I need to be a good steward with my advice so I go searching too.

I'm so impressed with you who are seeking out wisdom and making changes in this new year! I believe now more than ever it is important to learn and grow. As Eric Hoffer said, and Zig Ziglar often quoted, "In times of change learners inherit the earth; while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists."

Just in case it hasn't kicked in yet - It's time to learn or be left behind.

Soon I will develop a more exhaustive reading list -- but as my first blog post this year, I want to start with what I consider my "best coaching advice for 2018." You may never attend one of my classes or hire me or one of my team members as an executive coach or a 1:1 personal coach or a family coach and that is okay.

But If I had the chance to sit face to face with you, here is what I would say:

What do you still need to learn?

There is one tool I was given in 2017 that helped me more than any other. No matter what it is you need to learn in 2018 this one tool is going to help you to learn it and even master it. It's going to require some commitment and patience, diligence and decisiveness on your part. It's going to be the secret that changes everything. What is this tool?

It's called 2 Chairs.

Look, I'm a coach and I can teach people the absolute best process to set goals, hustle and even help you find your purpose and your passion. I love seeing all the information out there and all of the budding coaches who have emerged. I am truly happy so many people are now jumping on the self awareness and personal development train. There is vital information you need to learn if you haven't already.

But all of the online courses, the 1:1 coaches, the sales and networking opportunities...

All of the leadership gurus, the conferences, the seminars and the trips around the world. All of the experiences and books and self help guides....

They all will only help you reach a certain level of elevation because you will be following a plan that has worked for each of those authors. Yes, there is merit to their advice and their systems and their stories of personal growth. This is good information and you need it! Heck, there is even merit to my advice as a personal coach and I love it when you ask me!!

But if you want to see REAL, LASTING and MATURE CHANGE, then you will also need something more. You will need direct, one on one, 1:1, personal, mono y mono, secret time with your CREATOR. He will tell you the unique, special and amazing things about YOU that will make YOU the best YOU, YOU can be. If you want financial success, marriage help, parenting advice, business and sales significance, if you want a better ministry or non profit or you want to make a difference in the lives of others, then this is the tool for you.

How does this work? It's a simple process. You set up 2 chairs in your home, or your office, your patio, or maybe it's in your car. You sit in one chair while God sits in the other. It's like He has been waiting all of these years for you to talk directly, face to face, to Him. And you do this the FIRST thing every day. You go to your 2 Chairs every single morning and you get to a place where you long for this time and you almost can't breathe without it. You take 1 minute and God gets 4 minutes. You tell God what's on your heart for 1 minute and He downloads in the next 4. Or you speak for 2 and then listen for 8. You sit, He talks. You start. He finishes. You leave things with Him. He takes them on and gives you the answers. It's the 80/20 Rule. Except in this scenario you talk 20%. He gets 80%.

This exchange is what produces the most successful, significant, peaceful, fulfilling and fruitful life.

How do I know this? How can I boldly declare this is the secret that changes everything (besides of course, that it's the tagline for Bob's book)?

It's still hard for me to believe it happened, but a health challenge (the first of my life) one year ago taught me so much. One year ago I went into the hospital for 5 days just before Christmas. I was a very unwell person physically and I didn't even know how sick I was until right up until they took me by ambulance from the doctor's office to the hospital. After two rounds of strong antibiotics, a painful surgical procedure and 5 days in the hospital, I was released from the hospital just before Christmas. From Dec 23, 2016 until Jan 29, 2017, I was home, waiting for surgery to have several inches of my colon removed and resectioned. Surgery commenced January 30 and I spent most of 2017 recovering. In the midst of all of this, our family was blessed abundantly by our church, school and community who pulled together to help us so much! However, It was not the year I had expected, prepped or prepared for.

2016 was one of my best Goal-Reaching years ever. I wrote a book, lost 40 pounds, launched new content and reconnected with several friends I hadn't seen in years. I followed diligently all of the advice I had given to my own coaching clients, learned from Mr. Ziglar, and many others from the books, counsel and training I've devoured for most of my life. 2017 was looking to be my best year ever in terms of speaking, influence and doing what I do. Several engagements were booked already, classes were full and coaching clients had been secured. But there were other plans in store for me in 2017 and I knew I needed to embrace it all as I waited patiently for healing to appear.

So what do you do when you've had your best personal goal reaching year ever and then a new obstacle appears?

Really, there is not much you can do but wait....and learn. Remember - the learned inherit the earth!

As I look back on it all one year later, more than anything, I can now say I have learned patience. If you know me, you know this is a testimony to transformation! It is a trait I often need!

How did I change? Even though I was reaching goals and doing well when I hit this major health obstacle, I still had more shaping in my character that needed to be changed.

How did I learn patience? I mean besides having a high intensity husband, 4 high intensity kids and a high intensity life? I mean, how did I learn this elusive trait in an atmosphere of constant movement, growth and activity?

When you make space for Him and have your 2 Chairs strategy in place, you soon learn God's best plans are being unveiled each day.

I learned through the assurance:

1. God knows my problems

2. They are not too big for Him

3. He has a great plan for my life and He wants to unveil it day by day. So, if you want realized Elevation in 2018, it's time to get to a New, Higher Perspective. If you REALLY want to take your place in your own life and see dreams realized and potential fulfilled, if you want peace and joy more than anything, then go do yourself this favor:

1. Buy the book 2 Chairs by Bob Beaudine

2. Be encouraged by Bob and do what the entire book says - cover to cover

3. Go buy a brand new journal where you write out your inner most thoughts and feelings to God

4. Set aside a place in your home where God sits and you sit (or maybe your car or your office)

5. Enjoy your peace and new plans will unfold right before your very eyes. This is my best coaching advice for 2018! In essence here is the advice: don't just get advice from everyone else. Go straight to the source and watch your best plans unfold! Who is with me? If you are, share with me a picture of your new journal and your 2 Chairs space. I'm including mine. It's a pic of where Jesus sits and we talk. This is the passenger seat of my minivan. After I drop off the kids on a busy school morning, I leave this time for Him. He plays with my hair. He kisses my cheek. I cry. He laughs. He cries. I laugh. We do some mean business together in this special space and place and I know you will in your space too. All you've been waiting for is right here, dear friend.

Let's get to learning this year! But let's start with learning from the best. Every morning. At your 2 Chairs.

Love, Jill