James Ray and Mastermind Coaching Groups

Guest Contributor: Hueina Su
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James Ray, one of the teachers in The Secret, just launched his own coaching program called "Success Certain Coaching". I was on the live preview Teleseminar "Secrets of Success Certain Coaching", and he gave many pearls of wisdom on that call. If you missed his preview Teleseminar with Alex Mandossian on April 5th, you can listen to the replay.

The first and foremost statement James Ray made on the call was:

"The fact is people (in any field) who have good coaches always achieve more than those without."

We know that athletes, in any field, will never go to tournaments without a good coach. Most Fortune 500 executives have their own executive coaches, and more and more companies are hiring business coaches for their middle management too. Professionals in performing arts such as singers, dancers, screen play writers also hire coaches to help them improve their crafts. In addition to the acting coach, voice coach and writing coach, more and more people in Hollywood are hiring life coaches to help them manage their lives and get ahead in their careers. In fact, The New York Times printed an article about this new trend. You can also check out what other media have said about coaching and the coaching FAQ.

You might think that you can learn a lot of the same knowledge, principles, and tools from self-help books, seminars and training programs. Why hire a life or business coach?

Have you noticed that some people would tell you, that they've read all kinds of self-help books and gone to all sorts of personal growth programs, and yet, when you look at their lives, they are still "stuck" at the same place, by the same issues? The truth is, knowing something by concept or theory is one thing; but being able to apply it to your own life and sticking to the new thoughts & behaviors is quite a different story. James Ray stated on the call that, "Most self help materials focus on philosophy and concepts rather than thoughts, feelings and action to produce outcomes." And that's why they don't work.

No matter how much you know about a subject, if you cannot take actions to apply what you know in real life, it's not going to work for you. Not only do you have to take actions, in order to make permanent changes in your life and in your business, you also have to do it consistently. In other words, you have to make the new thoughts and behaviors into new habits, your new success habits. And since Dr. Maxwell Maltz has proven that it takes 21 days to form a new habit, you would need some kind of support system to keep you accountable and on track.

That's where life or business coaches come in. A coach can help you get clear about your vision and goals, create action plans, support you, keep you accountable and motivated until you succeed.

Alternatively, you can also join a mastermind group, which also provides support and group accountability. Depending on how the mastermind group is set up, how often you meet, whether there's a clear leadership, agenda and/or a focused common goal among group members, and how committed group members are, your result might differ.

Now, there's another option. Besides one-on-one coaching, group coaching programs are on the rise. Group coaching is a cost-effective alternative for those who would like to work with a coach, but can't afford the private coaching fee. There's also an added bonus of group accountability, in addition to the individual accountability between you and the coach.

Group coaching is a powerful option that works well for people who thrive on the synergy of working with a small group of like-minded people. I've noticed this trend that more and more coaches are offering group coaching programs that combine coaching and mastermind group. For example, Michael Port's Book Yourself Solid 15-Week Intensive Coaching Program includes two weekly conference calls with the coaches, and one weekly mastermind call with Book Yourself Solid Team Leaders, among other things. So you are working with the coach, as well as a small mastermind group as your accountability partners, throughout the coaching program.

Mastermind coaching groups are designed for people who have a similar goal or challenge. For example, get more clients, learn specific business skills, work on relationships, create information products, lose weight, etc. The overall objective for these mastermind coaching groups is the individual success of each and every participant. These groups are interactive and fast paced and are built on the concept of leveraging and growing from the experiences of the other participants. The group shares ideas, techniques and individual success strategies. Participants have found that the mastermind format dramatically increases the success rate for each individual group member.

In addition to the benefits of a regular mastermind group (support, synergy, group accountability, networking, referrals, etc), a mastermind coaching group offers even more because of what a professional coach can bring to the table. A professional coach, as the facilitator of a mastermind coaching group, can serve as an objective sounding board, bring a different perspective, help the group communicate and brainstorm solutions, offer additional resources and tools, and keep the group focused, motivated, and moving forward.

If you have a business or a personal goal that you would like to get support and accountability for, and you enjoy working with a group, then a mastermind coaching group, i.e. a group coaching program with a mastermind group component, might be the right choice for you.

Forming A Mastermind Group

Guest Contributor: Kayleen Reusser
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My MasterMind group is just getting started but I feel we've already made great strides. We three met during a writer's group monthly last summer. At each meeting we chatted with each other, discovering each other's interests in writing and our present careers.

Tammy is a counselor with a new parenting product to market for families. Laurie is a lawyer with dreams of publishing a young adult novel and a book about parenting based on Socrates' teaching. I am a full-time freelance writer with over 1,000 stories in magazines, books, and newspapers. I like to write travel articles, essays, and profiles of people.

Our writing interests vary, but our passion for success is similar. We all want to see our dreams come true. We plan to work hard and help each other by sharing advice and resources. Recently, we met at Tammy's office and watched "The Secret," which Laurie had purchased and already viewed. She had also read the book. She believed it was worth our time together to view it. after watching the DVD, Tammy and I agreed.

"The Secret" is a DVD describing how a person can begin changing his or her life for the better by changing her thinking. It features Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup books) and others who teach what the secret is that will help people live happier lives. I watched Oprah's show on February 8, 2007, as the people involved with "The Secret" talked about it. It was terrific.

I had already begun using the principles from "The Secret", which were first referred to in the Bible in Philippians 4:8: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things."

It is a good rule and has helped me stay positive in difficult situations.

At our next MasterMind group we plan to share our newest steps to reaching our goals. Next month, I plan to have some sales to major magazines under my belt, made possible with the helpful suggestions of my Master Mind buddies.

What steps are you taking to reach your goals? I suggest you read the book of Philippians (4 chapters) and watch The Secret. Following the principles in each will help you find happiness.

Take care.

Kayleen Reusser