| Long Branch, NJ 07740 | November 1, 2001 |
LIVING YOUR BEST LIFE is Laura Berman Fortgang’s new book. One of the principles of coaching is that “the client has the wisdom”. My task as a coach is to ask the questions and to suggest the activities that help the client find his inner wisdom. Berman Fortgang’s LIVING YOUR BEST LIFE not only asks the questions, but also suggests some writing activities that will lead the reader to discover his life blueprint by getting in touch with his inner wisdom.
Laura’s book starts with an introduction called “Excavating Your Life Blueprint”. She believes that we all have a life plan. Berman Fortgang describes the Life Blueprint by saying “It’s a structure that holds the clues to comfort and happiness in your own skin and the path to your best life."
In order to uncover that life plan we need to learn to listen to the wisdom we each have within us. The first step is to pay more attention to who you are rather than to what you do.
Berman Fortgang suggests that instead of asking yourself “Why is this happening?” you can free up your capacity for wisdom by asking, “What do you need to move ahead?” She calls these “What” questions “Wisdom Access Questions”. These are the kinds of questions a coach asks to help a client hear the wisdom within.
The next step is called “The Doing”: This is about “where you should spend your time and energy to get the most from your life” Laura believes that you should act on what you feel, not on what you think.
The final step is “The Being”. As you learn to trust yourself more you will begin to take action on what you feel is right. She believes that we fill our lives with endless activities to avoid touching the inner core.
Inner wisdom is there for each of us to draw on to find happiness and satisfaction in our lives. We just need to quiet down enough to allow it to speak to us.
This book was reviewed by Sandy Newman of Life Enhancement Coaches, a one-on-one personal and entrepreneurial coaching practice. Her clients are successful small business owners, career changers and life balance seekers. She can be reached at 732-246-7200 and RARCON@AOL.COM. She is also CEO at Raritan Container, a manufacturer of corrugated packaging New Brunswick, NJ.
This book review is provided courtesy of John J. McCrea, CMC. John is a business marketing mentor coach, Certified Management Consultant, and a partner in Executive Coaching Team® and Renaissance Resource Group Ltd. Executive Coaching Team® is the originator of the 90-day, coach-guided, self-directed marketing and leadership plan. John has held leadership positions in small companies and Fortune 500 companies. He has taught Business Marketing and Leadership at Rutgers University, lectured for the American Management Association & others on business subjects and strategic marketing.