Cosmic Coaching: Unleash Your Star Sign's True Potential (Paperback)

According to the blurb on the back cover, Ms. MacKinnon is an award winning coach. Reading her personal experiences of coaching, and looking at what she achieves for her clients, you can see why. She writes with authority and motivates you to learn and, most importantly, to take action. I've never been coached, but if the results achieved so far by trying some of the exercises are anything to go by, I could well be tempted. Any personal development book, however good, is only as effective as your commitment to use the techniques it advocates. The exercises are one of the best features of the book - by doing them, you can start to make positive changes and see results very quickly. This is part of a circle of motivation, and can lead you to achieve far more than you thought possible. The exercises are well thought out and quick and easy to do.

The author takes you through each star sign, describing how it affects your personality, career, love life, finances and spirituality. Each chapter is complete with an extensive set of coaching exercises relevant to that particular star sign. As an Aries, for example, I consider myself the most fascinating creature on this planet and invariably see others as rather less interesting than myself. This does not always make for the most harmonious relationships! By working through some of the exercises, I started to actively look for things that make other people interesting and honed in on these in conversation. This makes my relationships with others more pleasurable and effective, and also has enhanced my life in other ways - opening myself up to new experiences and interests, whereas before I was more likely to be dismissive as the person discussing them seemed a bit dull!

By understanding the star signs of people you meet, whether in a social or business context, you have a better idea of their interests and how to get on with them. For example, if you are a manager running a team, you'd look for complementary skills - Leo for charisma and leadership, Taurus for practicality and making things happen, Gemini for communications and presentation skills etc. The idea of the book is that by knowing yourself better, you enhance the things you are really good at and convert weaknesses into strengths. It's worth buying a copy as a present for your partner or close friends. They will come to understand you better, just as you get a clearer idea about them.

Cosmic Coaching is extremely well written and the ideas leap off the page with clarity and excitement. Some good diagrammes illustrate the points nicely. In short an excellent and entertaining read - it may even revolutionise your life.

It isn't always comfortable to confront one's less desirable traits, but the author's humorous, encouraging tone neatly avoids the kind of angsty navel gazing that makes so many self help books more depressing than uplifting, and since I have attention span of a goldfish, I was happy to find that the coaching exercises that accompany each chapter are easy to remember and very practical.

As someone who is seeking a new direction in life, I found this book a good starting place to focus my thoughts and reassess my strengths and weaknesses. I would certainly recommend it to anyone who, like me, feels in need of a little extra help to clarify and prioritise their goals in a way that addresses their own personalities.

The companion website is well worth a visit, too.