3 Powerful Lessons I’ve Learned From My Coaching Journey (it was better than I expected)
Do I need a coach? Well, Does she need a coach? She’s a professional, she’s won Olympic medals, world championships. Surely she knows her sport well enough to do it on her own, right? Wrong. So if athletes at this level still rely on coaches, surely we have to consider using one as well. If you want to perform at the highest possible level, you need that outside perspective. More importantly, I hope this example shows you that there should be absolutely no shame in that game.
Make it stand out. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
All of you may know me as competent, together, focused, and just generally boss. Now this may come as a surprise to you, but the fact is: I’m often a bit of a mess. I’m not going to lie, this whole process of striking out on my own often leaves me struggling with doubt. It’s just so easy to become crippled by a lack of self-confidence. I’m not the only one, especially among us ladies, who are often led to believe that risk is always to be avoided. We can fall into the trap of believing that we are vulnerable without “protection.” I have to admit that I’ve found myself stuck in this mentality, without knowing how to get myself out. Haven’t you?
I need help, to make sure that I keep pushing forward, without holding myself back. For that, I’ve turned to a woman who has had a great impact on my life, Laura Kressman. She’s a leadership coach who runs Aspirationelles, which is specifically tailored to women like myself. Today I’d like to let you in on what she’s done for me. You’ll see that she’s a big part of what will make my journey successful. I do hope that you’ll find some of this information valuable, and if the need arises, that you’ll be willing to find someone like Laura for yourself.
THE ART OF COACHING: BEING COACHED FROM INSIDE
What does a leadership coach do, you ask? Really, it’s similar to what any coach would do: He/She will help you
cultivate your creative energy that connects with why you do what you do (simply what wakes you up every morning)
embrace the discipline that generates the momentum you need so you’re not procrastinating
building a strategy against a clear vision (we always dream big but how does that resonate in your day-to-day)
WHY IS BEING COACHED IMPORTANT?
How many times have you run the same thought through your head? Does it ever resolve itself into a solution or does it just run around until it fades out? A good coach takes you out of that cycle of thought. The goal is to voice your thoughts so they can find form in real life. They listen to you intently to bring it out of you, then make it actionable. Hey now you’re becoming productive! If you have a good coach like Laura, she can really mine the ore from the depth of your thinking, and separate it from the dirt.
Let me tell you a quick story: In 2018, I had an idea, to import a beautiful smelling hand sanitizer from Turkey, and sell it here in the US. Sadly, I never took action on it, and a year later, people were buying hand sanitizer that smelled like tequila, for outrageous prices. If I had had a coach then, I may have acted on that, and turned a tidy profit. This is a prime example of something a coach could have helped me with.
WHY BEING COACHED CAN BE AWKVARD?
Is the process always easy and enlightening? NO. There are definitely some pitfalls to avoid.
The first thing I struggled with is just revealing myself to someone, which can be unsettling for many. Every session you’re putting yourself out there, you know your words are being judged, and it can be personal. This is my dream, and sometimes sharing it can feel like losing it in a way. If you don’t trust your coach, this is hard to get over. In a deeper sense, You are challenging your current perspective on reality. Not a lot of people feel comfortable with being challenged. Up to now, you lived by a set of rules and through a belief system that made you the person you are today. Hearing that you need to change large parts of that system is never easy. If you’re not open to change, you can be setting yourself up for a major clash. It’s a good idea to just expect some awkwardness at the start of this process. It takes time and commitment to let someone into your most treasured thoughts and hopes.
3 BENEFITS OF BEING COACHED
Laura and I, we’re almost at the end of our 3month course, so we’re starting to wrap up all the progress we’ve made in those sessions. Before I signed up for the program, I had made the decision to create a business out of my creativity. I was dreaming big, waking up to each day yearning for the day that my dream business was a success. Despite dreaming big and feeling driven, but I’d have days I felt the path to success being stretched out and my outlook getting foggier. After all our work, I wanna share with you 3 benefits I’ve taken on board.
First off, I’m now conceptualizing success not being tied to a future event in a dreamland. More so, it is in the now, in the daily habits and activities, it’s concrete and actionable. It’s something I have direct control of in the immediate present and I can define what it is, for me and for my business. When I began to think that way, I began to feel empowered and more fun, in my own element. Maybe for the first time, I feel in charge of my own faith and unstoppable.
The program allowed me to look at myself through a list of powerful questions, peer to peer dialogs, looking inward. I always had some self-awareness, but the thought loop in my head wasn’t effective to cope with what was blocking me. For instance, our exercise calling out self-sabotaging acts was eye-opening. I felt “seen” and it was liberating and I had to do something about it. It led me to make an improvement in my priorities, setting boundaries with others, because I knew I needed to take care of myself too, for the success of me and my business. Basically, she helped me to step outside of myself, see me from the outside, and view my actions more objectively.
Balance. It’s very easy to let our work identity start to define us, and take over our personal life. That can be great for short-term productivity, but this is a long game. A good coach can help us to realize where that boundary is, and gently push us to stay on the right side of it. By knowing when we’re pushing too hard, they can help to maximize our longevity. It’s important to realize that no success can come without long-term consistency, and that to do that you’ve got to find your pace. By creating a clear set of priorities, and bringing the concepts of workflow management into your daily routine, you can make sure that you’re in it to win it for the long haul.
To summarize, Laura’s program is helping me to take all my big ideas and concepts, and distill them down into daily action plans and achievable goals. This prevents me from getting overwhelmed, and puts me on the steady course that leads to victory in the end. She’s harnessing my creative energy and gearing it down. This helps me to find the direction I need to go in, and really pull.
HOW TO APPROACH BEING COACHED
If you’re an entrepreneur or artist, or have a side hustle, and have that feeling of spinning your wheels or just lacking focus, a program like Laura’s could bring clarity and confidence to your aspirations. To get maximum value of a program like that, I’d say give your full attention to each session, let the conversation do its thing, and leave your ego at the door. there is no right or wrong answers, only what you think is right or wrong, and whatever thought comes to your mind, entertain that thought. You would be surprised how one small thought unlocks another one and that might be the path you’re supposed to be on.
I do feel like we expect too much of ourselves sometimes, that we feel the need to be an expert in everything. The news is; I’m not. I’m confident in my photography, but there are so many things that I need help with, and I refuse to be too stubborn to ask. We have a right to expect success, but let’s realize that most everyone who achieves it does so with a team. I’d love to hear your experiences with coaching, if any, or what you feel it would be like. Last week I asked you all to comment on what features you would need to have in an RV, and I got a great comment from Lornie. I’ve already got his address, and a print is on it’s way.
Big thanks to Laura for all that she’s done for me, and to you as well for your time and attention. Never be afraid to ask for help, we all need it sometimes. Much love as always, and I can’t wait to see you next week. It will be a bit of a manly conversation, but I’ll do my best to bring my feminine touch to it. We’re deciding which truck we need to pull the Luminous Castle, so if you have strong feelings on that topic you’ll want to be involved. For now, have a bright and focused week.
The benefits of leadership coaching can be profound. Learn how to create daily action plans from your big ideas, how to channel your creativity, and how to balance your personal and professional lives. Athletes and leaders at the highest level rely on coaches to help gain perspective on their goals and methods of success. Many of us think of “life coaching”, and don’t necessarily have positive thoughts about it. But if we think of the relationship between Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson, Serena Williams and Rick Macci, The Beastie Boys and Rick Rubin, or all the great Olympic athletes who rely on their coaches, we can see the fundamental value of coaching. To become the successful photographer I want to be, I will need someone to guide me, to inspire and lead me to be the best I can be. With any luck, this video will also inspire you to seek out that growth mindset, so you can succeed in the way you want to as well.
—> Watch this on YouTube by clicking HERE.
