Where would Mark Spitz have been without his coach when he swam his way to a record setting 7 gold medals in the 1972 Olympics? Who'd have been there encouraging him to stretch beyond what even he thought was possible and set records in every event?
    Further, why do countless successful entrepreneurs rely on their coaches to provide the sounding board necessary for them to stay out in front and often buck the established "norm"? It's because coaching works. Coaching has been around for many centuries. Nothing lasts that long unless it works!
    The reasons people choose coaching are many and often complex, but there are commonalities in all situations. The coach helps the protégé to eliminate self-sabotaging behaviors, see beyond artificial or self-imposed limitations, sort out conflicting goals, create balance in their lives and, most important of all, DO something NEW. Something works, nothing doesn't.
    Coaching is individualized and, with laser-beam focus, zeros in on what's needed TODAY. Coaching is here-and-now intervention that has far-reaching benefits. The protégé learns that activity is not the same as productivity, time management is often no more than making appropriate choices consistently, and that one size does not fit all.     If you are willing to trust the coaching process, keep your commitments and allow the coach to do the coaching, there is no doubt that you will find new strength, vision and happiness in all of your business and personal pursuits. Don't you owe it to yourself to give coaching a chance?
    Marylyn B. Schwartz, CSP, formerly a VP with an international Fortune 500 company, has more than 25 years of business, sales and real estate expertise. She trains thousands of real estate and sales professionals annually and is a monthly columnist in numerous real estate publications.
    She has coached hundreds of individuals over the years and has an exemplary track record for increasing their bottom line, helping them to find the right fit in the job market and he