Last night I sent out the February edition of my newsletter - 'LifeWorks' and today the magic happened.  I received brilliant  feedback from 3 clients who have accomplished some amazing results from the work that we have done together.  What was really great was that they took the time to send me an email to share their success.  I am in a privileged position to be in a profession that is all about helping people to improve in some way.  I am often asked if I can quantify specific metrics around success rates of interventions such as smoking cessation or weight loss and my response is always the same.  Being totally honest, I can't.  Hand on heart, what I can say is that everybody who walks out of my office or leaves a Skype or telephone coaching session is in a better place than when they came in.  Everybody improves in some way.

When I receive an email from somebody who tells me that they have overcome their fear of flying or somebody else who has been able to come off anti depressants, I remember what it feels like when the magic happens.  In my capacity as a coach, I work with a number of business men and women who hold senior positions in large organisations.  These people often feedback to me that they think they are doing a good job but something just niggles away at them because nobody actually tells them.  There is often an expectation that they will just get on with it.  In the Language and Behaviour Profile (LAB) one of the questions is "How do you know when you have done a good job?"  It is a question format often used by interviewers.  The majority of people you ask that question to will qualify the answer by telling you that they received feedback telling them, or the result was backed up by some kind of success measurement.  We refer to that as external validation.  On the other hand, there are some people who will reply with something like "I just know inside that I have done a great job."  These people are quite often CEO's of companies.  They are natural leaders who rely on their internal validation.

The truth is, we all need to some external validation from time to time.  If ever you feel lost or wonder if you are on the right track, or doing a good job, listen to your intuitive self.  Then ask a few people for their views.  Keep a journal or a log of your success stories and remind yourself where and when your magic happens.  It is a feeling, and the more in touch you are, the more evidence you have, the easier you will find it.