The essence of coaching is in identifying the gap between where you are and where you want to be. There are many ways to get from Point A to Point B, and many of them ask you to suspend your addiction to numbers. However, it is practically impossible to move from Point A to Point B if you can not clearly articulate where Point A is. For most of us, that involves numbers of some kind.

This is even more critical for those of us who fear being trapped by numbers. We usually prefer to 'go with the flow' or 'fly by the seat of our pants'. If this is your natural style, as it is mine, the idea of getting intimate with the numbers that make up our lives can be a little scary.

So often, we feel that 'what we don't know can't hurt us'. This is simply not true. Not knowing that your blood sugar levels are over 400 doesn't mean that you can't go into a coma or have some other life-threatening complication. The trick is to embrace your current numbers, identify your ideal or goal numbers, and work from there.

Here are some examples of the 'numbers' in our lives. Embrace them!! So often the fear associated with them just goes away once we admit to ourselves what they are. (This is very similar to another fear I frequently see with my clients who are afraid to go to the doctor because they might find out that something is wrong. And is also related to the relief they feel, once they do go, when they find out what it is, regardless of the seriousness of the illness involved.) We have a very strong 'need' to know. Get yours met!

Remember, these are only some ideas to get you started. Figure out what are the important numbers in YOUR life. To be successful, and to get to where we want to go, we must know our starting point. And we must know what numbers represent our success, or we will find it difficult to attain our goals. However, there are many ways to define our goal so that it is comfortable for us. For example, if you know you are over weight, which of these sets of numbers 'turns you on' more?:

Going from 200 to 120 pounds (80 pounds) Going from Size 20 to Size 10 (10 sizes) Going from 'can't do it' to walking up one (or two) flights of stairs without getting winded or in xx minutes?

Frame the goal in the way that is most comfortable for you. Then, keep asking what your current numbers are. That is one of the secrets to getting where you want to be.

Examples of Personal Numbers You Want to Know: Weight, Blood Sugar/Cholesterol/Blood Pressure, etc., Vision, Budget: Income, Expenses, Savings, What's Left, Dates/Birthdays, Number of times a month you wash the car/floor/etc., Number of visits each year to doctor and dentist - (and when the last one was!), How long it takes to get places, How long it takes to get ready

Examples of Business Numbers You Want to Know: Salary, Taxes , Sales per Week, Month, Quarter, Year, Return on Investments Clients per Month, Speed of Processing, Business Forecast / Projections, Budget: Income, Expenses, Savings, What's Left, Turnover Rate, Cost to Hire and Train Staff vs To Keep Staff, Quality Numbers (Error Ratios, etc), Client Expectations / Quotas, Boss Expectations / Quotas

(c) Louise Morganti Kaelin. Louise is a Life Success Coach who partners with individuals who are READY (to live their best life), WILLING (to explore all options) and ABLE (to accept total support). Find many free resources to assist you in living the life of your dreams at http://www.touchpointcoaching.com For her free newsletter of insightful, practical suggestions for creating your best life, email mailto:on-536@ezezine.com