10 Steps to a Strong Personal Foundation

This time of year I always seem to think of an old boss, Thomas Leonard. For 20 years Thomas was a CFP (Certified Financial Planner) but the more successful his clients became monetarily, the more he realized that helping his clients also meant creating a stronger personal foundation and life plan to create tangible outcomes. Out of his work, Life Coaching was born, and Thomas was the first Personal Coach.

While some claim they were coaching prior to Thomas Leonard’s introduction of Life Coaching, he is credited with “labeling” the work. He created the first coach training school, two national coaching trade organizations, and then one more coaching training program. He passed away on Feb 11, 2003, at the age of 47, which must be why I really think about and remember him this time of the year.

Thomas was a lot like Steve Jobs. Extremely innovative, he created simple things he liked and wanted, and yes, he was very demanding and not the most personable guy in the world. Yet he had a very big heart.

Some of you were on this newsletter list back in 2003 and remember the announcement I made the day after he died. I, along with many other coaches in training at Coach U, had the privilege of being trained by him, were on his R & D Team, and got to watch a master businessman in action. I also worked for him for 3 years behind the scenes. What a gift!

I bring all this up to let you know a bit about how coaching was started, but also to let you know that people who touch other people deeply don’t get forgotten. Thomas, “t” as he liked to be called, created so many different personal development and business programs — 100’s of them in his short lifetime. Coaches who were trained at Coach U and Coachville use many of those programs today, including one of the first programs he created called Personal Foundation Program. “t” also wrote thousands of articles, a few books, and today’s newsletter article. Read it for more of an introspective look at yourself with paper and pencil in hand to write notes as you go through it.

So here’s to “t” and what he’s done for hundreds of thousands of coaches and coachees around the globe.

Upwards and Onwards,

Maria

P.S.: Take action today to grow your business differently. If you realize that, when it comes to growing your business, that your very best sucks, it might be your Personal Foundation that needs some shoring up. and become part of the next 12-week Personal Foundation group I’ll be facilitating soon.

*Personal Foundation program is a CoachU.com program.

The 10 Steps to a Strong Personal Foundation
by Thomas Leonard

1. Honor your boundaries. Boundaries protect you from people that your spirit cannot easily afford.
2. Raise your standards. The higher your standards, the fewer problems you will experience in life.
3. Clarify your requirements. Everyone in your life deserves to know what you expect/require of him or her.
4. Finish your unfinished business. The fewer unresolved items in your life, the more confident you will feel.
5. Get your personal needs met. Until your personal needs are met, it’s difficult to live powerfully and sustainably.
6. Orient around your values. When you orient your life and your goals around your values, fulfillment naturally occurs.
7. Build reserves in all areas. Having more than enough calms the mind and affords more experimentation in life.
8. Identify and reduce tolerations. What you put up with drains your energy and slows your development.
9. Handle the money, completely. Until your money is handled, you are not at choice in life.
10. Define success for yourself. When you define success for yourself, life becomes very, very simple.

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What do you think of the 10 steps?  Is there a step you really like or dislike (and why)?  Leave your comments with us today.