Clearer thinking, less inner turmoil, and more clarity about the best way to make headway on personal goals and/or progress on real world situations – that’s actually what happens.

Almost always, people get little glimmers that they ought to consult with someone, then mull it over for awhile, and finally they realize that whatever was holding them back from talking with someone should be overridden by the need to act, to try something, to at least change the status quo.

Which is precisely what happens. Seldom is it about exact solutions never even considered before. It almost always comes down to seeing with greater clarity, accepting – or not – the clear-eyed view, and then proceeding from there in realistic, do-able steps.

As you might imagine, more than a few times I’ve had clients tell me that, as we were consulting on the call, they found themselves realizing where they needed to go – saw what their best option was – on their own. I’d either asked just a few questions, or said virtually nothing at all. That’s what happens when a person has connected well with someone, overcomes the anxiety, avoidance, or procrastination, and is now actively thinking clearly about what they truly think.

I’ve said it many times in several places: There’s a reason why so many highly successful, very self-confident people have their own coaches or personal consultants: it helps them succeed. They know they don’t know everything. They know they can’t possibly remember everything that has happened or anticipate everything that will happen. Coaches and consultants help people see their situation more clearly, sort out priorities, make their own best choices, and then – crucially – help them learn from the outcomes of those decisions and move forward.

It doesn’t get much better than that.