Everyone Needs a Coach

Everyone Needs a Coach

There was a time in my life where I believed everything I needed to learn could be taught in a book, a seminar, or an online course. I avoided coaches for four main reasons:

• I thought I was pretty smart and I should have been able to figure this stuff out without any help. I let my ego get in the way!
• If this coach already wrote a book or had a course, why would I need to pay them for coaching?
• I spent most of my life financially broke, hopping from one start-up to another, so I couldn’t afford one anyway. 
• And, this is the big one, I felt like a fraud, and I harbored the crushing weight of multiple business failures, so I was afraid I would be “found out.”

I was blessed, in 2005, to be introduced to a business coach that allowed me to pay on a sliding scale, helping to make our sessions more affordable at $100 per hour. When you’re making next to nothing, a hundred bucks an hour might as well have been a thousand dollars an hour. 

I found a way to make it work a few times a year though. And, while a single coaching session absolutely can be life changing, the real value comes with consistency (where have I heard that before?). 

At that time, I was neck deep in my resistance to things like “consistency,” and “habits,” and “routine-” all the things I needed the most!

Even though I loved those few coaching sessions every year, I failed to commit to a regular schedule. But those sessions were amazing for a few reasons.

First, I had someone to help me get a deeper understanding of who I was and why I did the things I did. 

Second, I had someone who believed in me on a level that was just different than the way family and friends might believe in me. 

And third, my coach wouldn’t let me buy-in to my own bull*%$&. (this is the key to real growth and peace of mind, BTW). 

Just these three benefits helped pave the way to a deeper understanding of where I was going and why. 

But I can be stubborn and (apparently) like to learn things the hard way. 

It took several more years of frustration, and hitting rock bottom, before I finally got it- I needed help. I needed someone that had been through this before and could shine a light, both on the path, and inside me, so I could see it.

That’s the power of a good coach and mentor. 

And the right coach can cut your learning curve exponentially. The right coach can help you achieve the exact results you’ve always wanted, and have been striving & grinding for. 

Because here is the reality- most of us already know what we’re supposed to be doing, and we don’t do it. Having a coach provides an extra level of accountability. And more importantly, a good coach provides perspective.

In fact, perspective is what you pay for with coaching. That’s why who you choose as a coach is such an important decision. You don’t want to fall into the trap of desperation and just accept the first coach that says “yes,” and is willing to take your money. 

The relationship you have with your coach and mentor has the ability to change everything. 

Choose wisely. 

Here are five considerations for choosing your coach/mentor:

Results. Be sure your coach has “been there, done that,” and knows how to do what you want to do. Theory and textbook wisdom only goes so far. The last thing you want to do is take six-figure advice from a four-figure earner. It just takes a different mindset and a different way of operating. 

Shared Values. No matter what your goals are, there are myriad ways to get there, and some of them might be less than fair, legal, kind, or right. The end doesn't justify the means. Be sure your coach shares similar values and will guide you down a path in alignment with the higher vision you have for yourself, your business, and your life. There is no true success if human beings, laws, and integrity, have been trampled in its attainment. 

Check Their References. We live in an incredible digital age where we can all brand ourselves in the best light possible. Nothing wrong with that at all, but you have to know that when you visit a website or a social media page, you’re only seeing the best of someone. Dig deeper into their reputation. Can you get a personal referral? Are there reviews available? What are the forums saying? A caveat: it is impossible to please everyone, and every coach will have bad days, so a negative review is not necessarily evidence of a coach you want to avoid. What you are looking for, however, is a pattern of behavior and results. Is this someone you could proudly say, “He/She/They is/are MY coach!”

Provides Value First. A coach confident in their abilities, and in this business for the right reasons, should provide you TONS of free content, insight, advice, and resources for free, upfront, before you make the decision to buy anything from them. The coaching relationship is special, and you should choose a coach that resonates with you from the inside out. In order to make that happen, it takes more than the swipe of a credit card. You need to make sure you can handle hours of videos, phone calls, emails, and texts, together. Providing epic content and value before you buy anything from a coach is also a further demonstration of an abundant mindset-a necessity for success in today’s world. 

Challenges Your Thinking. A good coach knows that results, while often harsh, are always fair. That means the results you have right now in your life are a direct result of your current mindset and behaviors. If you want different results, you must be pushed outside your comfort zone. A coach will not be afraid to ask the hard questions, and always come from love. That means, no judgement, no shame, and your conversations should leave you feeling touched, moved, and inspired, even if you have hard work ahead. 

I am even going to add a sixth “bonus” consideration for choosing your coach. They’re Humble. That means that whatever level of success they have decided for themselves includes some room for you, your story, and your success too. This doesn’t mean they have to be available at your beck and call (they wouldn’t be successful at all if they did that for everyone), but they can still be approachable, kind, and supportive. 

I continue to use these six considerations for my own coaches, and I have a lot of them. I currently have six coaches:

• 2 Health Coaches
• Copywriting Coach
• Business/Life Coach
• Book Launch Coach
• Specific Program Coach

There is always a coach that can help you get to the next level. Don’t be afraid to start small with them too. Download their free report. Buy their book. Attend a workshop. Read their emails/blogs. Watch their videos. Take their courses. If they resonate with you, and you find value, and they help you, take another step with them. 

It doesn’t matter how small the step, or how afraid or uncertain you are when you take it, just take it, and keep moving. 

If you'd like to take a small step with me, you can order my book, Sign & Thrive: How to Make Six Figures as a Mobile Notary and Loan Signing Agent, here.

Bill